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Feeding Seeds to WildBirds

There are lots of different things you can feed the birds. Here are some of the things I feed:

*Black Oiled Sunflower Seed*
The best all around seed you can feed! I keep some in a big fly through feeder for bigger birds and squirrels and then more in a tube feeder for perching birds such as cardinals, finches, chickadees,etc.

*Cracked Corn*
I keep this in a big open wooden feeder that is nailed to a fence post. This is hopefully where the squirrels, grackles and starlings will feed! I also spread some in a special spot on the ground. Many other birds will also eat this.

*Thistle*
This is the food for Housefinch, Purple finch, and Goldfinch! Doves love it too and will congregate under the feeders getting to it.

*Safflower*
A lot of people say that many birds won't eat this, and therefore will hopefully deter grackles, starlings and squirrels. No such luck for me! I find most every bird I have will eat this seed, but the cardinals,finches and doves especially like it.

*Sunflower Chips/Hearts*
This is the sunflower meat/nut without the shell. Lots of different birds love this seed.It's advantage is no messy hulls/shells to clean up underneath the feeders. Disadvantages, it is fairly expensive.

*Fruit n Nut Mixture*
You can buy this at good old Walmart. It is a mixture of lots of different seeds such as pumpkin, not your ordinary seeds in a wildbird mix . It also has dried fruits and lots of nuts. The birds adore this, in fact they will lap it up quickly! However, I can't afford to put it in all my feeders so I mostly put it in the satelite feeder where the chickadees can get it. They love it! I see bluejays and woodpeckers trying to get at it too and they usually succeed, just takes them a little longer !

*Dove Mix*
This is something I can find at a pet store nearby. It contains canary grass, millet, and several other small seeds. Problem is the finches like it too and it usually doesn't last more than a day around here!

*Millet*
I didn't start feeding this seed until the third winter, wish I had earlier! Lots of ground feeding birds like the white crowned and white throated sparrows, thrashers, towhees and juncos really flock to this.

*Peanuts*
I like the peanuts in the shell for the bluejays and nuthatches and redbelly woodpeckers. Bluejays are amusing to watch them hide them in your yard. There are specialty feeders that hold both shelled peanuts and whole peanuts. Woodpeckers, titmouse, nuthatches all love these kinds of feeders.

*Suet*
I buy these in cake form and place in special suet feeders. There are many different types to choose from. I find the one's that contain peanuts are the most liked. The woodpeckers will flock to you if you feed this, also bluejays, titmouse, and nuthatches. Unfortunately starlings do too! To curb this in the winter I use only plain suet that I can only find at Wild Birds Unlimited, unless you want to make it yourself.

*Fresh Fruit and Jelly*
I like to put out whole apples for the robins and Mockingbirds, and have even seen housefinches devouring it.Other fruits birds will eat are chopped cherries, coconut, pears, banana's and grapes. You never know who's going to stop by for a taste. Also Orioles love oranges and grape jelly.

*Meal Worms*
Lots of birds love mealworms besides the bluebird. Mockingbirds,wrens and insect eating bird will love you for putting these out.

*Other Items*
Some other things you can throw out in a pinch that birds will eat are cooked rice, cooked spaghetti, stale doughnuts, pastries and bread, cereal, baked potatoes, stale cheese, dog and cat food.

To make your own suet I usually use lard melted with peanut butter. Then add cornmeal and a little flour to thicken it. Next add anything you might have in your cupboards; dried fruits, fresh fruits such as cranberries, apples, raisons, applesauce, oatmeal Throw in nuts of any kind, cocoanut, and some birdseed. My Mockingbird loves this along with the woodpeckers, wrens and even chickadees have tried it.

Here is a recipe for birdy cornbread which the birds love. It is basicaly using the Jiffy Cornbread mix with 2/3 cup of peanut butter added, 2 eggs with the shells crumbled up in it, fruits and nuts of your choice. Bake as usual. Birds love this.

*Hummingbird Food*
You can buy premixed hummingbird nectar at most any store. Please buy the kind that is clear, not the red. The dye in the red mixes have been shown to harm the hummingbirds and their eggs. Why not make your own, it's easy, cheaper and you'll never run out! Use a mixture of one part sugar to four parts water. First boil your water for 3 minutes, then add your sugar and boil for one minute more. Let cool, and store in refrigerator up to two weeks. You may even freeze it. Be sure and keep your hummingbird feeders scrupulously clean, rinse with small amount of bleach or vinegar, don't use dishwashing liquid. Empty, clean and refill your feeders once a week in early spring and late fall, but in the hot days of summer you may want to do it every other day or so.