Attracting wild birds requires premium seed mixes such as Kaytee Wild Bird Black Oil Sunflower Seed or Wagner’s 62051 Nyjer that attract an assortment of finches and other small songbirds.
Lower-quality blends may contain filler seeds such as cracked corn, milo and wheat that don’t appeal to songbirds. When selecting your blends, look out for ones without shed hulls or excess dust; also avoid anything with rancid aroma.
Contents
Sunflower Seed
Sunflower seed is one of the most beloved ingredients to entice wild birds. Black oil sunflower seeds in particular meet all of their nutritional requirements easily and are easy to digest for various species.
Your seeds can be provided in either a basic feeder or mixed with other ingredients for an array of birds to enjoy. Mixtures like Lyric Fruit and Nut High Energy Mix should attract chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, cardinals, grosbeaks, sparrows, and woodpeckers among others.
Kaytee Nyjer Thistle Seed offers an alternative to black-oil sunflower seeds that is sure to please our finches (goldfinches and pine siskins alike). These tiny seeds come from Africa’s Nyjer plant – an aromatic daisy-like flower which produces these heat-sterilized seeds without sprouting – making them great for feeding in mesh tube feeders to avoid squirrels getting at them!
Nyjer Seed
Nyjer (commonly referred to as thistle seed, though not related) is a popular food among goldfinches and other finch species, providing energy-rich nutrition for their active lives. With high oil content levels providing energy sources for these active birds.
Nyjer is produced from the yellow-flowered plant Guizotia abyssinica, native to both Ethiopia and India, harvested and then heat treated to sterilize its seeds prior to bagging for sale.
As this bird seed is typically hand harvested overseas, its price can be slightly more costly than other wild bird feed. Therefore, to maintain full feeders with this special kind of wild bird seed it is wise to replenish regularly with additional supplies. Furthermore, always use feeders with seed catching trays so as to minimize mess and save any wasted Nyjer seeds falling onto the floor.
Canary Grass Seed
Canary seed (Phalaris canariensis) is an essential component of many wild bird feed mixes, particularly effective at attracting pine siskins, house and purple finches, towhees, mourning doves. Our premium blend contains gold proso millet, white and red millet as well as black oil sunflower seed to make an inviting environment for these birds to feed in.
It thrives in many soil types and is an excellent option for wetland restoration. A hardy perennial species, it provides high protein levels for breeding birds.
Under ideal weed control conditions, a seeding rate of 50 lbs per acre is advised for seeding. Proper soil testing and application of phosphorus fertilizer is crucial to ensure optimal germination and establishment. 20-lb nitrogen applications at seeding may promote Reed Canary grass growth while impeding legume establishment.
Rapeseed
Rapeseed (Brassica napus var. napus) is an edible winter oil crop in the Brassica family of plants, alongside mustard, broccoli and cauliflower. Rapeseed oil can be harvested as edible cooking oil that retailers sell under the name canola oil; its omega-3 fatty acid content also helps prevent heart disease.
Seeds from these crops are used to develop high-yield rapeseed varieties for feed and oil. Breeding for resistance against pathogens, fungus and diseases of rapeseed is key – our winter oilseed rapeseed variety NPZ was developed specifically with these traits in mind, in addition to providing resistance against rust and club root resistance – these traits will enable us to produce high yield varieties suited for challenging environmental conditions while improving seed quality, yield and performance simultaneously. Our ultimate aim is to enhance seed quality while increasing seed quality while simultaneously increasing yield agronomically performance.
Canary Seed
Canary seed is a popular choice among finches, sparrows and other small wild birds. This premium bird seed contains tryptophan, which increases serotonin levels to help improve mood and reduce anxiety as well as help lower blood pressure. Plus, canary seeds provide protein and fiber which regulate digestion to minimize bloating; plus they’re packed full of potassium which aids weight loss by decreasing fluid retention.
Health Canada and FDA have granted glabrous canary seed GRAS status, certifying they are safe for both caged and wild birds. Canary seeds are not as heat and drought tolerant as wheat seeds and must be monitored early each spring for signs of infestation by aphids; producers may use fungicide sprays as a preventative measure against them.
