Selecting the right bird seed: Look for quality

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 17 September 2009 10:55

Picking the right bird seed can be puzzling, says Joan Winter of Connecticut Audubon, whose very name reflects the approaching season when most people like to feed the birds.

Whether you go to garden supply or hardware stores, supermarket or bird shop, or even nature and Audubon centers, there seem to be countless varieties of wild bird feeds available.  Here’s Connecticut Audubon’s take on wild bird food, provided by Ms. Winter.

The important thing is to read the ingredients of mixes.  Quality mixes will consist primarily of sunflower seeds or hearts, peanut bits, safflower, and millet.  Lesser quality seed mixes contain “filler seed” (milo, wheat, barley, cracked corn) and often inedible items such as empty hulls and sticks.   Many birds won’t eat filler seed and they’ll flick it onto the ground.  Premium seed may cost a little more, but quality seed actually has more edible seed per pound than other inexpensive seed mixes and in the long run you will save money on all that wasted “filler’ seed.

While there are many bird seed choices, there are a few basic varieties which will attract most birds:

Black oil sunflower seed is the all-around favorite for bird feeders, particularly attractive to tree-dwelling birds.  These seeds are very rich in oil and their thin shells are easy for small birds to open. Cardinals, grosbeaks, nuthatches, finches, chickadees, woodpeckers and towhees are among the many varieties who love this seed.

Striped sunflower seed has a harder shell and is larger than the black-oil seed which is perfect for heavy-billed birds like grosbeaks, jays and cardinals.

Sunflower hearts provide a good source of fat and protein and are another favorite with almost all birds. The birds don’t have to fight with the shells and there is virtually no waste under your feeder.  The only problem with sunflower hearts is they are less resistant to moisture since they are not protected by a shell.

Safflower seed is the cousin of sunflower seed and cardinals love it.  Grosbeaks, doves, nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers and chickadees like it, too.  It is a great source of fat and protein that will not attract less desirable birds like starlings and grackles and, squirrels usually avoid it.

Nyjer (thistle) seed attracts finches, Pine Siskins and other small-beaked birds.  It’s a high-energy source for these high-energy birds.

White proso millet is preferred by ground feeding birds, such as doves, juncos, and sparrows.  Millet’s hard shell makes the seed less liable to spoil or rot.  Birds tend to prefer the white variety over the red.

Peanut hearts or whole shelled peanuts are very nutritious and jays and woodpeckers love them. Unfortunately, so do the squirrels.

Suet is a great source of fat which provides more calories (energy) than carbohydrates and proteins of equal weight.  Since winter is right around the corner, suet is a high-energy source for many bird species who need extra energy and fat reserves to keep warm and sustain life during the winter’s cold and food-scarce conditions.  During the day, birds spend their time eating continuously so that they will have enough calories to burn to keep them warm during the night.  And don’t forget to provide a water source for the birds during the winter months when it’s particularly difficult for birds to find water.

Buying several varieties of seed in bulk and mixing them yourself can actually save you money and you can attract your favorites by feeding them only the seeds they love!  For help in selecting the right seed for your backyard feeders, visit the Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield on 2325 Burr Street in Fairfield.  For information call 203-259-6305 ext. 109.

Coming Up

A Colony on the Edge: the Struggle to Save Connecticut’s Only Roseate Tern Colony, on Faulkner’s Island,  Rick Potvin, manager of McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Thursday, Sept. 17, 6:30 (talk at 7:15), free, Western Conn. Bird Club, at Kensington Green, 655 Main Street-South,  Southbury, 203-426-3901

Fall migration at Chestnut Ridge Hawk Watch, with Bedford Audubon experts, Friday, Sept. 18, 10 to 1, Butler Sanctuary, Chestnut Ridge Road, Bedford Corners, N.Y. bedfordaudubon.org

11th Annual Hawk Watch Weekend and Fairfield County’s Green Faire, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 sand 20, 11 to 5, Audubon Greenwich, greenwich.audubon.org, 203-869-5272 x239.

Monhegan Island, fall migration hotspot in Maine, four day birding trip, Sept. 24 to 27, Connecticut Audubon, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 800-996-8747.

Swallow Spectacular, up to 500,000 Tree Swallows gathering on the lower Connecticut River, sunset cruises, Sept. 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 25, 27, and 30, $35, Connecticut Audubon, Essex, 860-767-0660

Block Island Weekend, three-day fall migration birding trip, Oct. 2 to 4, Connecticut Audubon, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 800-996-8747.

Hook Mountain Hawk Watch, on the Hudson River, with Audubon Greenwich, includes moderate half-mile uphill hike, Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 to 3, RSVP with Ted at 203-869-5272 x230.

Cove Island Park Bird Sanctuary, migrants and shorebirds in Stamford, Sunday, Oct. 18, 8 to 11 a.m., Greenwich Audubon, RSVP required: Call Brian 203-869-5272 x221.

Autumn Migration Bird Walks, every Saturday, 7 to 8:45 a.m., in September meet at Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road; in October, at Fairchild Sanctuary, North Porchuck Road in Greenwich, free, 203-869-5272 x221, greenwich.audubon.org

Bird Walks with Luke Tiller, To register, sunrisebirding.com/walks.htm; 203-981-9924, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

First Sundays, birding at Greenwich Point with Meredith Sampson of Wild Wings, and other guides, meet at the second concession stand, 203-637-9822.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Jack Sanders. Send sightings or comments to: jackfsanders [at sign] yahoo.com, or to Bird Notes, Box 1019, Ridgefield, CT 06877; or call 203-438-1183, extension BIRD (2473), and leave a message with your report, spelling your first and last names and telling us your town. If you need help identifying a bird, try your local nature center. If you find an injured bird, call wildlife rehabilitator Darlene Wimbrow of Redding, 203-438-0618, Wildlife in Crisis of Weston, 203-544-9913, or Wild Wings of Greenwich, 203-637-9822. The columnist’s website is www. sandersbooks. com.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites