No matter if it’s finches, grackles or squirrels that you want to attract, small wild bird seed is an essential ingredient. A well-rounded mixture will provide protein, fiber and fat essential for their welfare.
Search for a premium mix that provides optimal nutritional benefits, taking care to check ingredients and guaranteed analysis on its package.
Contents
Black Oil Sunflower
Black oil sunflower seeds are an ideal food to attract various wild birds. Packed full of fats, proteins and vitamins E, B and K they’re sure to please!
Birds find these thin-shelled seeds easy to break open in order to reach the meat inside, making them an integral component of many bird feeder mixes. Furthermore, these seeds can also be sprouted for black oil sunflower microgreens.
These seeds are often sold mixed with common or striped varieties to make them more affordable and easier to purchase. Due to their lightweight hulls that quickly blow away from feeders, hopper-type platforms are usually used to hold them.
Your garden could benefit from having some in it as they will likely thrive despite any tall weeds that threaten to choke out their roots. When planting them outdoors, sow 1/2″ deep after the last frost has occurred or start indoors 4 weeks beforehand for better results. They grow fast, reaching 6-10′ tall.
Striped Sunflower
Sunflower seeds provide songbirds with an energy source rich in fats and oils, providing a healthy meal to snack on throughout their days. Large birds like grosbeaks particularly appreciate sunflower seeds due to their stronger beaks that can crack open their tough shells more easily than those of smaller songbirds.
Be sure to offer enough black oil or striped sunflower seeds in order to attract many different kinds of birds, and regularly clean the feeders to reduce bacteria build-up. Also consider offering hulled sunflower seeds which don’t leave messy seed hulls that pose health risks to birds eating from your feeders.
Sunflower hulls can also be an eyesore for gardeners, clinging to the soil and needing regular removal. An alternative would be offering white proso millet as it’s popular among sparrows (white-throated, fox and chipping), dark-eyed juncos and quail. Plus it tends to be less expensive than black oil sunflower seeds! Look for combinations containing this seed as well as others small wild bird seeds for maximum variety in birdseed mixes.
Nyjer
Nyjer seed is beloved among finches, siskins and redpolls alike. Also referred to as thistle seed or niger seed, but unlike its namesake plant Guizotia abyssinica it does not actually originate there; rather it’s an oil-rich seed with similar appearance as thesetle plant seeds.
Nyjer seed’s hard shell helps reduce spoilage risk, and makes it harder for larger birds to consume it, deterring less desirable species from dominating your feeders and increasing songbird populations. This promotes a healthy feeding ecology.
Nyjer seeds are packed with vital nutrients that promote muscle development and feather growth, such as protein and essential fatty acids, as well as minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus that promote healthy cell function, immune system health, enzyme activation and healthy cellular structure. Unfortunately though, being harvested manually overseas makes nyjer more expensive than some alternatives and mold is likely to form quickly; so regular checks of your supply and discarding any that appear clumped or spoilt are crucial for keeping birds happy!
Sunflower Hearts
Sunflower hearts contain plenty of healthy fats and oils that help birds to survive the harsh winter weather, and make an excellent year-round food source. Plus, sunflower hearts attract many different wild bird species such as finches, blackbirds, woodpeckers, juncos and siskins!
These sunflower seed are specially tailored for birds to make them easier for them to consume, while eliminating wasteful shells which would otherwise lie scattered about your garden and cause more chaos.
Combine them with striped sunflower seed to create your own blend, and it is best placed near trees or low shrubs to discourage squirrels from accessing it. Produced in Michigan and delivered by Standish Milling Company, this high quality bird seed does not contain any corn or fillers and comes packaged for easy distribution.
