Who doesn’t like birding? Especially from the comfort of your very own backyard! Birding is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable hobbies today. But there is a certain element of stress that can come from not knowing what to do when you first begin. There are so many different bird species and so many different types of bird food that it becomes difficult to know what to feed our feathered friends.
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
We thought we would help our beginner backyard birders with cheat sheet to use while just starting out with this amazing pastime. Ornithologists and seasoned birders agree a sure fire way to please the largest number of birds is to use black oil sunflower seeds as your primary bird food. The meaty/fatty inner seed has a thin shell and is a great addition to a songbird’s daily diet. Another great advantage to using black oil sunflower seed as your
bird food is that the seed can be served in a variety of feeder types. This gives the birder an opportunity to pick both a highly functional feeder as well as a feeder that is appealing and fits the overall aesthetic of one’s garden or yard. You can use shelled sunflowers in gazebo feeders, platform feeders, window bird feeders, and tube feeders. If one decides to offer de-shelled sunflower seeds in a tube feeder be sure
to look out for extra moisture that can occur and cause bacterial growth. Birds that tend to be attracted to the black oil sunflower seed are: cardinals, grosbeaks, pine siskins, finches, titmice, chickadees, and nuthatches.
Suet
There are several other
bird food types to consider as well. Suet for example is a completely different type of bird food than a sunflower seed. Suet is really just a hardened fat (typically beef fat), high-calorie bird food. Suet will usually bring birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, jays, and starlings. Although you can make your own suet, it is best to purchase your suet from bird specialty stores because raw suet becomes rotten fairly quickly when temperatures are greater than freezing. You can use suet bird feeders to offer suet cakes to birds in your neighborhood. Suet feeders can be a simple as a cage (where the suet is contained) that hangs from a chain or there are some feeders that offer suet cages on the sides of gazebo feeders.
Mealworms
Mealworms are the larvae of an insect called the darkling beetle. Mealworms can come freeze dried, specially packaged (so the mealworms are still juicy and moist), or live. Mealworms are a high protein, nutrient-rich food source. If live mealworms are ordered they arrive in packaging filled with newspaper. Once received, transfer the mealworms to a container with smooth sides which will prevent them from escaping. Though the mealworms are a food source you must feed them in order to keep the mealworms alive. Try adding bran, oatmeal, or corn meal and carrots to the container where you are keeping your mealworms. Mealworms can be offered in a gazebo or hopper type of feeder. One where there is a flat surface and overhead covering. There are a great many birds who will love to dine at feeders stocked with mealworms. Among them are such birds as: bluebirds,
american robins, house finches, indigo buntings, chickadees, northern cardinals, downey woodpeckers, tanagers, blue jays, orioles, purple finches, and more!
Nyjer
Nyjer is a small, thin, black bird seed that truly loved by goldfinches as well as purple and house finches, pine siskins, and redpolls. This type of bird seed can be incorporated into bird seed mixes or purchased on its own. Nyjer seed (sometimes referred to as niger or thistle seed) is generally priced higher than other types of seed. This price differential is due to added costs of importation and sterilization. Nyjer must be offered in specific types of bird feeders. A backyard birder can offer nyjer in tube feeders specifically made for nyjer or sock/stocking feeders.
Peanuts
We all know what a peanut is, we eat and so do birds! Peanuts can be provided within the shells or out of the shells in bits. The in-shell peanuts provide the added enjoyment of watching the birds break into them to pluck out the nut. You will mainly see peanuts eaten by blue jays, tufted titmice, and woodpeckers and you can offer the peanuts in a “peanut feeder.” That’s right; there are feeders that are made specifically for peanut bird food. These feeders are usually tube shaped and come with a wire mesh making it easy for the bird to reach the food.
