What kind of seeds/food do you put out?? (1 Viewer)

-25

Bird and squirrel lover.

• Mar 12, 2006

• #1

I myself have a nyger feeder, regular seed feeder, mixed nuts and berries feeder. I use a bird bath and fill it with black sunflower seeds. I toss corn and bread out in the yard, Now serving nightcrawlers. I also put the seeds and mixed nuts and berries out in the yard along with in the bird bath feeder. 3 watering stations. I have 5 suet cakes out, all different flavors.


Am I missing anything?
With all this food it has brought me 18 different species to my backyard, SO FAR. http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=50103

 

Last edited: Mar 12, 2006

R

Richard Bryce

Well-known member

• Mar 13, 2006

• #2

-25 said:

I myself have a nyger feeder, regular seed feeder, mixed nuts and berries feeder. I use a bird bath and fill it with black sunflower seeds. I toss corn and bread out in the yard, Now serving nightcrawlers. I also put the seeds and mixed nuts and berries out in the yard along with in the bird bath feeder. 3 watering stations. I have 5 suet cakes out, all different flavors.


Am I missing anything?
With all this food it has brought me 18 different species to my backyard, SO FAR. http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=50103

Click to expand...

Leaving aside fruit, oats etc for the soft bills, a few years back the US Fish & Wildlife Service commissioned a study into seed preferences and concluded that small Black Sunflower and White Proso Millet are all you need to attract the widest variety, with minimum waste and lowest cost.

http://www.wildbirdcenter.com/content/geis Well worth reading the Abstract if nothing else.

Dr Aelred D. Geis who carried out the study concluded that commercial seed mixes are designed to attract the purchaser and are often bulked with elements that are quite unnatractive to the end consumer, hence the waste under feeders. That was in 1980 since when Sunflower Hearts have become widely available.

A summary by species:
http://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/default.asp?contentID=123

Rich

 

Last edited: Mar 13, 2006

martin kitching

Obsessed seawatcher

• Mar 13, 2006

• #3

Currently I have 2 seed feeders filled with High Energy Advance (a mixture of seeds including sunflower hearts), a ground feeder with a ground feed mix (oats, maize, sultanas, raisins, sunflower hearts, peanut nibs), a niger feeder and a peanut cage. Very little waste except for one particular type of seed that Coal Tits don't like - they sit on the feeder and throw this one type of seed to the ground. However, we have plenty of Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Chaffinches and Robins which eat the stuff that has fallen to the ground. No suet balls at the moment although that should be rectified soon. Variety definitely helps. So far recorded a total of 24 species around the feeders.

martin

 

BirdGal

Just a Fledgling

• Mar 14, 2006

• #4

I've got 3 feeders with a wild bird mix (I buy from Sam's Club), 2 feeders with sunflower seeds, 2 niger feeders, 3 cages (one with a suet cake, one with a seed cake), and a sunflower seed ground feeder and seed ground feeder. I've got a standing bird bath for water.

My neighbors have 2 sunflower seed feeders, a grain feeder, a niger feeder, 2 ground feeders with grain. They've got a concrete basin sunk in the ground for water and an electric skillet (yes, I'm serious) for a heated source in winter.

We got 23-24 species consistently during the winter months with this set up.

 

calbirder

riparian woodser

• Mar 19, 2006

• #5

with 2 feeders, one with mixed wild bird seed and one hanging with sunflower seeds, i get 10 species at least every day.

 

christineredgate

Winner of the Copeland Wildlife Photographer of th

• Mar 19, 2006

• #6

Sultanas for Charlie blackbird.They are a must.Also I make a sponge cake with sultanas and dried bird food.The Sparrows love the cake crumbs.

 

J

jimbofoxman

Active member

• May 10, 2006

• #7

2 Suet Feeders, Thistle Feed and two Sunflower Feeders. I plan on making some hanging fruit feeders soon (my other hobby is Woodworking )