- Author: Kathleen Roche
One of the joys of my garden is sipping my morning coffee or day's end glass of wine and watching all of the activity in my garden. The plants are always changing and birds, bees, dragonflies and squirrels are always present. I am mindful that an entire mini-ecosystem exists. With both intended and unintended changing landscapes influenced by the drought, water and food sources for native species may be compromised. It is important to continue to provide for them and realize that ecosystem changes may create stress.
With this in mind, I provide feeders, keep my birdbaths clean and filled with water and provide fresh nectar for hummingbirds. I have always provided black oil sunflower in one feeder seeds which appear to be quite popular. The black oil seeds (“oilers”) have very thin shells, easy for almost all seed-eating birds to crack open, and the kernels contain a high fat content. Squirrels love them too so it is wise to figure out a way to discourage them from visiting. A wild bird seed mix purchased from our local chain supermarket however, was not so desirable. Despite different placement of the feeder, ground feeding and regular re-stocking, nary a bird showed interest in the least.
While out and about yesterday, I stopped into Wild Birds Unlimited in Novato with the question; ‘What mix will attract birds to my feeder' and ‘why aren't they interested in the mix I provide? Other than getting a nice crop of millet from the spill-over, there has been little to report on the product I have been providing. The helpful and knowledgeable gentleman that assisted me was ready and produced a jar of ‘store brand' wild bird food from under the counter that looked exactly like the kind I was attempting to feed. It turns out that other than the small amount of black oil sunflower seeds, and an interest from some ground feeding birds in proso millet, there is little interest by our regional birds in the ‘grain products' and fillers listed in the ingredients.
I purchased a blend of sunflower chips, hulled white millet and shelled peanuts which should better appeal to birds that eat at the feeder on the ground. There are no grain fillers and the blend is locally selected to meet the regional and seasonal needs of the birds. The seeds have had shells removed so only the meal is left so no sprouting and no hulls left on the ground.
At day's end, I cleaned and filled my feeder and restocked my hummingbird nectar and now I anxiously wait for mealtime. While there are no takers yet, I am optimistic that my strategy will work. There is much more to learn. I remain a novice in regards to feeding the birds but feel I am off to a good start.