New to feeding -- does seed matter? (1 Viewer)

I'm relatively new to birdfeeding. Going to the store, there are so many "blends" of seed, each claiming to attract a different variety of birds. I do know that some birds like particular seed--i.e. the woodpeckers like nuts, goldies like sunflower hearts, etc....but I've wondered how much it *really* matters what seed or seed mixture you buy. Right now I have a standard feeder with a generic Wal-Mart blend--just millet and sunflower seeds, mostly--and I get the house finches/sparrows, lots of juncos, and the occasional chickadee, titmouse, jay, mourning dove, and "Buddy" our resident squirrel. (Oh, and the starlings have found the suet, which is okay because no one else seems to want it!)

I also just installed a thistle tube feeder which has been TOTALLY ignored (I have read it can take months).

I'd like to attract new and different birds and have read that a platform feeder or ground feeder can be good for the nuts and berries.

Should I add a platform feeder with a blend of "specialty" seed? If so, should I place it near the other feeders?

ETA: I live in central PA near a field. We get goldies in the summer (never at the feeder) and I recently saw three indigo buntings in the general area (oh!) Once I had a pileated woodpecker in a single dead tree (unusual place for him since there aren't tons of trees nearby). Nuthatches in the tree in the summer. I've seen tiny little woodpeckers around too. So....other birds do exist...they've just never come to my little feeder!

There are 3 types of seeds that are universal, that will attract just about every bird around. Black oil sunflower, white millet, and cracked corn. I personally buy the 3 in bulk and mix my own, or feed seperately. You need not buy "specialty" mixes, because all you do is pay more for less. Mixes usually contain fillers like milo, wheat, oats, and excessive corn. As you said, tossing in suet, thistle, and peanuts are a good addition, but not absolutely necessary. Suet though, should be in everyone's yard, because even though the birds who like it will eat the other stuff, suet is very attractive, especially to woodpeckers.

A variety of feeder types is the best route to go, so yes, adding a platform feeder is a plus. I have 2, one for sunflower, and one for my mix. I also have some large tube feeders that the finches prefer, however I quit feeding thistle due to cost. Good luck!

Joe

My feeder consists of oil sunflower, peanuts shelled and unshelled, and niger thistle and a suet cake. When you use the millet those pesty house sparrows will invade the feeder. Please no offense to those across the pond. The chickadees, Nuthatch, and tufted titmouse will love the sunflower as will the cardinals. I have seen ground feeding birds as the white crowned and white striped sparrow, junco and song sparrow, and towhee forage under the feeder. The woodpeckers love the peanuts (shelled) the red-bellied especially likes the peanuts and suet cake. My bet advise is to stay away from the walmart and box store feeds high in millet and go to a good feed store like agway or your local audubon (although a bit pricier is for a good cause). The thistle feeder will take time but the gold finches will go crazy. they are a little skittish at first meaning the are afraid of people or the slightest movement. And one more that love the peanuts and is a great one to see is the rose breasted grosbeak. good luck.

steer clear of cheap seed mixes that are packed full of fillers and sometimes even dog food, just to bulk it out. look on the back of the pack to check the ingredients.
I don't really use seed mixes, or if I want to, I mix my own so I know whats in them. Usually I just buy separate bags of Niger seed, Black oil Sunflower seeds or sunflower hearts, and Peanuts.

If you are in bluebird territory a good one is meal worms. The bluebirds love these little critters. Of course a meal worm feeder is needed and if you learn how to raise the meal worms you can save on cost. My sister puts these out and it is a feeding frenzy.

Yeah, I forgot to mention about the millet and cracked corn. As Gary said, house sparrows, along with blackbirds, cowbirds, mourning doves, and pigeons if you have them, will cling to those 2 seed types. However, if you don't have many of those birds, there are a lot of native sparrows that love millet, and you may not see them without it. For example, I get towhees, buntings, and many neat native sparrows showing up to eat my millet. Also, my millet/corn mix keeps the red-winged blackbirds, house sparrows, and other boisterious birds busy while the others get to eat sunflower in peace.

One thing I am learning is the same thing is true for bird feeders as real estate: location location location.

I had set up a hopper with a tray hanging underneath to catch spillage and provide a place for birds that like a tray. In that feeder I had black oil sunflower seeds and now I have a mix of millet, cracked corn and a few black oil sunflower seeds (very few). The idea was that the house sparrows would stick to this feeder.

Across the yard (~30 feet) I put up another tray with black oil sunflower seeds for the chickadees. With the exception of one time (over a couple months) I never saw a bird go to that feeder. The chickadees still preferred to grab sunflower seeds from the hopper.

So the other day I moved the tray to about 10 feet from the hopper and no sooner was I back in the house and there were chickadees grabbing seeds from it.

Go figure.