Black Oil Sunflower Seed
When purchasing seed, it is tempting to buy the cheaper mixed seeds which promise a greater variety of birds to your feeder. These, however, are often filled with filler seeds such as red millet and wheat which our native song birds will not eat. If you have ever seen one of your birds sweep seeds out of your feeder, he is likely digging for his favorite foods.
One of the most popular seeds among songbirds is black oil sunflower. It is a rich, black seed with no stripe. The lighter seeds with the stripe often sold for human consumption do not have the high oil content the birds need. (And if you look closely, many mixed seeds offer this variety rather than the black oil sunflower seed.) Some of the birds this seed will attract:
Goldfinches
Nuthatches
Cardinals
Jays
Titmice
Flickers
Grosbeaks
Chickadees
Certain sparrows
I’ve noticed that we actually go through a lot less seed now that we have switched, and attract more birds. Our hopper feeder seems to only be a sort of docking station for those who can’t fit on the platform feeder, now, but all of our birds love the sunflower seed.
birds, birding, backyard birding, seed, sunflower seed
June 8th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
I need to do this…the birds at our feeder really make a mess throwing out the millet and other things they don’t like…and I’ve got a stand of tall grasses under the feeder to show for it! (Makes free guinea pig food though, so that’s good.)
June 8th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
This can make a mess, too, although it is more obvious in winter. All the seed shells get dropped and blown around. If that bothers you, you can purchase the sunflower hearts.
We have a few plants that sprang up in our garden which I believe are sunflowers. Waiting to see!
June 8th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Thanks for posting this tip!
I used to love it when my kids would watch for birds in our back yard with me. Now that they are older, I can’t get them to do it.
June 9th, 2007 at 3:01 am
That is a special time. My son runs in to report what he sees at the feeders all the time and it is so special! He is only four.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:51 am
[...] or if safflower truly is a second-rate seed in the eyes of our birds. We fill it predominantly with black oil sunflower seed, and occasionally add some dried fruit or other tidbit we think the birds might [...]
July 6th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hi there I love your post
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Money often costs too much.
December 4th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
i will have to give this a try