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Nut & Fruity
Pound for pound, no bird food offers more energy than a mix of nuts and fruits. This is especially true of fruit-eating birds, such as finches and robins.
A well-crafted blend will offer a variety of the good stuff, namely sunflower seeds, peanuts, millet, and nyjer (thistle) seed. The best blends are also the most cost effective, as they attract more birds in a given amount of space.
If you’re looking for a more elaborate way to feed your feathered friends, consider offering a table top fruit feeder or filling a suet cage with chunks of cranberries and other smaller fruit. Smaller dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins, should be soaked in water overnight before offering them to the feathered residents of your backyard. The newest fruit-themed bird feeders may even include built in nectar dispensers, and are a great choice for the eco conscious avian enthusiast! Be sure to clean your fruit-themed feeders regularly to keep them looking their best.
Sunflower Chips
Sunflower seeds are an ideal source of fat, protein and vitamins for wild birds. This means that they can stay healthy and fit, especially during the winter.
While all birds are different in their requirements, all species need a balanced diet to ensure they don’t get too thin. They need to consume the right amounts of carbohydrates, fats and proteins – just like we do!
Black oil sunflower seeds are great for all seed-eating birds. They have thin hulls and contain the most oil. They are also more palatable than gray or striped sunflower seeds.
They are also a good choice if you want to attract a variety of birds while keeping your feeders mess-free. They have no hulls to crack, so they take less energy for birds to eat, and it’s easier for them to digest them.
Millet
Millet is a great choice to use in a seed blend and is loved by most wild birds. It is a good source of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus and is also high in dietary fibre.
It is a popular grain that is grown in the United States for human consumption and is also used as livestock feed. It is a great source of protein and fiber and is naturally gluten free.
There are many different types of millet, but the most common is white proso millet. There is also red millet and pearl millet.
Proso millet is a firm favourite with wild and caged birds and forms an integral part of commercially available balanced grain and seed mixes for caged birds. Birds are very selective when it comes to their diet and will not eat red or golden varieties of millet alone, so it is important to include other seeds such as confection sunflower to complete the seed mix.
Peanuts
Peanuts have been a popular bird food throughout the UK for well over a century, they are a rich source of protein and oil and are a good all round food for wild birds.
They are a good source of energy, especially during the winter when other natural food sources can be scarce for our feathered friends. They are also high in fat and calories, which can help to keep their bodies warm and active during cold weather, which is something most birds need during this time of year.
Birds such as jays, cardinals, titmice and woodpeckers simply love peanuts! Add a peanut feeder to your garden and watch cardinals, titmice, nuthatches and jays go nuts for these delicious treats.
