 Confused
about what birdseed to buy for your feeders? If you answered yes,
you're not alone. Some say you are wasting seed when you feed mixes.
Others disagree and claim great results with mixes.
Go
with whatever works for you. There is, however, research to guide
you about what grain or mix to feed.
Dr.
Aelred D. Geis, affectionately called "Dr. Birdseed" by
his friends, decided to find out what birds like when he was in
charge of the Urban Wildlife Research Program at the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
He
recruited feeding observers in Maryland, California, Ohio and Maine
to conduct his study of 16 different seeds. A total of 710,450 observations
were made.
The
study found that black oil sunflower is the most popular seed with
most seed-eating birds.
White
proso millet is the most popular with sparrows and doves. Common
cereal grains - milo, wheat, cracked corn and oats - as well as
flax, canary and rape seeds rate significantly lower than sunflower
and millet.
So
what does this mean for you? Since bird populations differ from
place to place and change from time to time, it is almost impossible
to formulate an entirely satisfactory seed mixture. If you have
only one or two feeders, you can probably obtain the best results
by offering black oil sunflower seed and white proso millet separately.
Some
birds feed almost exclusively four feet or more above ground level
on elevated feeders. Others feed on the ground or on a slightly
elevated platform. Still others will feed wherever they can find
food. In general, birds attracted to elevated feeders prefer sunflower
seed, while ground feeders prefer millet.
Tube
feeders with small perches should be filled with some type of sunflower
seed - black oil, striped or hulled. Other tube feeders are made
especially for niger (thistle) seed. Usually, birds aren't attracted
to tube feeders filled with millet or mixes.
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