HOW TO EAT LIKE A BIRD

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Finely cracked corn (sometimes called chick corn) will attract smaller, ground-feeding birds such as cardinals, juncos, mourning doves, and sparrows. But be careful—it is very water-absorbent and can quickly turn into a moldy, sticky glob. Use it only in platform feeders; it can clog up the feeding ports on other kinds.

Seed Mixtures

The commercial seed mixes sold in feed stores, garden centers, and similar outlets combine sunflower seeds and white proso millet with other seeds. Many of these mixtures claim to be formulated for a particular season or to attract a particular type of bird—finches, for example. In addition to the desirable sunflower seeds and millet, such mixtures can contain, in varying proportions, wheat, red miller, oats, peanut hearts, corn, canary seed, rice, and milo (also known as grain sorghum). Some mixtures even contain bits of fruits and berries.

Commercial seed mixtures are no bargain. Oats, wheat, rice, and milo have very little appeal to birds. Because milo is very inexpensive, it ends up being a main ingredient, especially in the cheaper mixes (milo is easily detected by its reddish color). The birds will pick through the mixture to find the sunflower seeds and white proso millet without the filler.

If you prefer to offer a seed mixture, a good formula for a homemade mix is 45% white proso millet, 35% black-oil sunflower seeds, and 20% safflower seeds.

Blue jays and woodpeckers can crack open peanuts in the shell.

Other Seeds

Nuthatches, cardinals, blue jays, and other birds all enjoy seeds from melons and squash. Instead of discarding these, try putting them in the feeder instead. How much seed to buy is always a perplexing question, especially when setting up a new feeding station. How much the birds eat depends a lot on the weather and the types of birds usually found at the feeder. In cold weather, the birds will eat more. A wandering flock of evening grosbeaks can clean out a feeder in one sitting but may never come back. In general, in the course of one winter in a temperate climate, 100 pounds or more of any combination of black-oil sunflower seeds and white proso millet will be eaten at a moderately active feeding station. It is possible to go through considerably more if more than one station is set up.

Birds Are Pigs

How much food to buy at a time depends on how big your feeder is, how often you refill it, and how much storage space you have. Bird food of any sort is considerably cheaper when purchased in bulk. A 50-pound sack of black-oil sunflower seeds, for example, does not cost five times as much as a 10-pound sack. It's always best to use fresh seed, so buy only as much as you will use in four to six weeks.

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