Jun 17, 2009 by ashleylr927 | Posted in Garden & Landscape
I live in a third-floor condo. I have a Kaytee Songbird Station bird feeder (http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/2/Kayt ... that I fill with black oil sunflower seeds. It's attracted tons of birds, but they kick the empty hulls out of the attached tray onto the floor of my -- and my downstairs neighbor's -- balcony.
I've apologized to my neighbors, but I'm not sure if I should just switch to one of the "no mess" bird seeds (i.e. are they really as good as they claim to be), or if I should invest in a different style of bird feeder?
Any suggestions are welcome! :-)
Maybe you could use some wire coat hangers, fashion them to hook to the perch and stick out 12" to 18"s, with hooks on the end. Attach a piece of fine mesh cloth or screen wire to the hooks in the wire. It may not be pleasant to the eye, but it should catch most of the shells.
Carolina Wren selecting hulled sunflower seed. Fundamentally an insect eater in winter it doesn't have much alternative. www.wild-bird-watching.com ...
Rainy Day Birds
feeder during a rainy day. Cardinals, bluebirds, goldfinches and others the time of one's life hulled sunflower seed. ... birds birdfeeder rain cardinals bluebirds ...
Is Cheap Bird Seed A Good Deal? « Birdchick
by Birdchick
Recently, Dennis Donath who I volunteer with at Carpenter Nature Center sent out an email announcement to bunch of us that a local large scale retailer was going to have one heck of a deal on bird seed, specifically black oil sunflower. It was one of those Black Friday deals of black oil sunflower seed going for $9.89 for a fifty pound bag.
That is an exceptionally good deal on sunflower. Birds like the goldfinch and house finch above love sunflower. If you are only going to offer one seed at your feeder–that’s the seed to offer. More birds eat that seed than another.
I responded to the group email that based on my experience working at a bird store that a retailer known as a “big box store” had deals on seed that were below dealer cost, it was a sure sign the seed was old. Many wild bird specialty stores insist on fresh product. When it comes to black oil sunflower, the specialty stores usually purchase seed from the most recent crop, it’s rarely more than a year old. Once the new crop comes in, the seed distributor must find someone else to purchase it and it’s generally sold to big box stores, grocery stores, hardware stores etc at a greatly reduced price.
Unlike Nyjer thistle which tends to only attract birds if it’s less than six months old, sunflowers will still be eaten by birds if it’s over a year old. After the first year, the nut meat begins to shrivel, so it’s not going to be as desirable to wild birds, but if you’re the only game in town, they’ll go for it. Also, all stores and seed distributors have a problem with insects. The most common ones are the Indian meal moth and the dust weevil. You can only do so much safe pesticide treatment around the bird seed. The bugs are no big deal to birds–it’s added protein in the feeder. But those insects are a pest to humans if they find their way into the home. Also, over time, an untreated infestation of the seed can affect the quality of the food as different insects tunnel through shells and eat the seed.
Find out which birds have been timely enough to find a water source that (perhaps) is still open at the height of winter. To for signs of owls and hawks and listen for the lone fish crow that seems to linger throughout the winter.
Thistle feeders will charm finches. Finches and small birds will use tube feeders. Most birds seem to fancy hulled black oil sunflower seeds. More waste occurs with mixed seeds as birds will empty unwanted seed to get to their favorites.
Juncos like millet and cracked corn, as well as sunflower seeds, mainly hulled sunflower. They also hop around under nyger feeders to pick up what the goldfinches spill. They're always interested in fallen seeds, whether in the forest,
"Biology Through the Lens" and "The Faces of Migration: Illustrations of Birds on Superb Duck Island," photography by students and art by Jordan Chalfant and Anna Stunkel, College of the Atlantic (George B. Dorr Museum of Unsophisticated History), Bar Harbor.and more »
These avid birds quickly emptied my small hanging feeders. The fat bill of an Evening Grosbeak is quite efficient at hulling sunflower seeds. In a body and brightly colored, the Evening Grosbeak is an unmistakable winter caller to bird feeders during
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"Biology Through the Lens" and "The Faces of Migration: Illustrations of Birds on Superb Duck Island," photography by students and art by Jordan Chalfant and Anna Stunkel, College of the Atlantic (George B. Dorr Museum of Unsophisticated History), Bar Harbor.and more »
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