Birds knocking seeds to ground (1 Viewer)

I'm new to bird-feeding so I apologize if this question has already been addressed!

I have two feeders set up, one filled with striped sunflower seeds, one with safflower. Sparrows (?) seem to be knocking the striped sunflower seeds to the ground without eating them---the feeder was full this morning and now half full after 8 hours, all the seeds on the ground. I also have this problem with the safflower seeds though the sparrows don't frequent that feeder as often.

I used to have one feeder with a mixture, but switched to only striped sunflower since I read that sparrows have a harder time with the shells (as you might guess, I'm trying to discourage sparrows). If the sparrows can't eat these, why are they still coming to the feeder and knocking the seeds to the ground?

Thanks for any help/insight.

They're just foraging for the food items they like, if it's not to their liking out it goes as they continue to search. Normal behaviour.

At some point, do these sparrows figure out that there is nothing else but striped sunflower seeds? After all, I've seen a grackle stop at the safflower feeder, try one, and then leave permanently when it decided this wasn't what they wanted!

I'm guessing the culprit species are House Sparrows, and they are very much an opportunist feeder. In my experience they will continue to visit feeders whilst a food source remains available.

When we had feeders in Russia, one thing we noticed with Tits in particular, was that if they dropped a seed before they had dealt with it, shelled or otherwise, because there was an abundant supply in the feeder, they wouldn't pursue it to the ground.

Obviously this meant a lot of dropped seeds and I'm not sure that this pattern would be replicated on a bush or tree where there was more competition and a finite supply?

PYRTLE said:

I'm guessing the culprit species are House Sparrows, and they are very much an opportunist feeder. In my experience they will continue to visit feeders whilst a food source remains available.

Click to expand...

But if these sparrows can't eat the striped sunflowers or safflower seeds because the shell iis too hard, then why would they return---the food source is not available to them. The grackles figured out they don't like safflower but didn't knock the seeds to the ground to see if other types were available!