Best seed for doves? (1 Viewer)

[Tired]

I have some feeders in front of my window, partly because they're excellent entertainment for the cat. She's especially interested in the white-winged doves, because of all the tail-bobbing they do, and because sometimes multiple ones cram onto a feeder at once and they both flail for a bit.

I want to set up a little feeder specifically for them, but I can't figure out what they want. They're interested in the dish of millet and other small seeds, but some individual ones throw the seeds around like they're digging for a particular thing, and they wind up wasting a bunch of it. I don't have the bag for the millet mix (a neighbor gave me some in a container), so I can't check the contents. It's all small, pale seeds. Any idea what it is they're interested in?

For your entertainment, please enjoy said cat getting incredibly excited about a dove on the windowsill. The window has a one-way film on it, so the birds have no idea she's there. I want to attach a little platform to the windowsill, both so the doves don't have to try to balance on swinging hanging feeders, and so the cat gets more of this. If you have a cat that likes birds, I 100% recommend a feeder and some one-way film. Best entertainment in the world.

https://imgur.com/q1COTFS

 

[tucansam]

When I put out simple black oil sunflower seeds, primarily for the cardinals in my area, the dove simply will not leave the yard.

 

[Tired]

I did some testing with containers of seeds, to see what the doves ate the most of. Safflower seeds go over really well, as do hulled sunflower seeds. Millet is pretty popular as well, as are sunflower seeds, but the safflower seeds really seem to be the winner. There's also one particularly big male dove who likes to eat peanut chunks.

I'm mostly giving them safflower seeds now, with a pile of mixed nuts, dried berries, and hulled sunflower seeds (basically it's trail mix for birds) on the side for the jays. Check out the subtle purples around that center one's neck and head.

7 Entire Doves

Okay, this is halfway a picture of my cat. The dark tint on the lower part of the window is one-way film. From the outside, it looks like a shiny, vaguely metallic surface, which means the birds can't see in. Therefore they can't see the cat, or...

www.birdforum.net

Judging by this, the safflower seeds go over well.

Sometimes I put out something a little fancier-looking, because I think it looks neat. Of course they almost immediately mess it up. Don't mind the cherry chunks on the windowsill, nothing really seems to want those.

 

[Deans Sanctuary]

Dove will eat any and all but if you mix in some Safflower they'll eat only those until they're gone.