The Intro
Most backyard enthusiast want to attract the greatest variety of birds to their outdoor space and one of the easiest ways to do that is by feeding the right seed. Some of these freeloaders will flock to a certain type of seed while others just have a quick look and move on. The seed that you put out, will depend on the time of year, the location in relation to your surrounding vegetation, the hardiness zone, the latitude and who you are looking to show up for dinner. There are several mixed blends of seeds as well as several levels of presentation. There are even special types of seed you want to avoid if you are looking to keep certain critters away.
The Staple
Almost everyone has seen the “Wild Bird Seed” at your hardware store, pet store or super store. These are perfectly good to purchase for almost all locations of North America. These are the blends of seeds that most appeal to the largest variety of birds. They are relatively inexpensive but also have some drawbacks. Most of these blends are based with White Millet, Red Millet, Sun Flower Seeds, Milo with some other dried items like peanuts, cracked corn and safflower. The first reason they aren’t the best seed is sometimes the seed is too general. Some birds will sift through looking for what they want and toss the unwanted seed on the ground causing waste and potential mold issues. There are several types of seeds in this mix that are usually considered filler, like Red Millet that are rarely eaten. Also, a good many of these blends have striped sunflower instead of black oil sunflower. The smaller black sunflower is the preferred seed by birds as it has the better mixture of protein and fat that keep the birds healthy. The last reason is that you may not be attracting the birds that you really want.