A Guide To Wild Bird Food

A typical mix may contain sunflower seeds and peanut granules, along with millet and pinhead oatmeal. Some cheaper mixes contain a large proportion of cereals like wheat, oats and possibly even barley. There a few of the smaller birds that will eat these hard seeds, like sparrows and greenfinches. You will notice how cleverly some birds will flick out the harder, larger grains and pick out the seeds they want to eat. Barley, which we don't recommend, is an extremely hard grain, much too hard for all except larger birds, pigeons, doves and pheasants.

Often cheaper ingredients are used to bulk out a mixture and keep the price low but as these are not so palatable to the smaller birds you will have more waste, so it really is a false economy.

Small seeds like millet will appeal to House Sparrows, Dunnocks, Finches and Reed Buntings. Flaked maize will be acceptable to Blackbirds, while Tits and Greenfinches will go for Peanuts and Sunflower. Whilst it's generally the clingers and the acrobats, including the whole of the Tit family (Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit), the Nuthatch and Greater Spotted Woodpecker who will enjoy whole peanut kernels from a mesh feeder, the others will appreciate a sprinkling of peanuts chopped into small pieces, often known as peanut granules.

So, if you are choosing from the lower end of the price scale take care to find a seed blend containing a wide range of smaller seeds. Check to see that the bits likely to be nudged away represent only a small proportion of the overall blend. Alternatively, choose a higher quality husk free mixture, which all the birds will find delicious and you'll have the satisfaction that every morsel is eaten.

Robins, along with Blackbirds and Thrush are all members of the soft bill family (Turdidae), whose beaks are designed to deal with more tender Wild Bird Food like fruits, berries and insects. There are seed mixes formulated to cater especially for their needs. These may include flaked maize, sultanas or raisins and should be offered on the ground, trays or a Bird Table where other species will join in and eat some too. They will also tuck into sunflower hearts, usually black sunflower seed with the outside husk peeled away; the kernel is tender enough for their beaks to deal with.

Put out Bird Feeders with Nyger seed. This is an extremely small black oily seed. It's so fine that special feeders have been designed to hold the tiny seed with very small holes in place of the usual feeding ports. Offering this seed will help you attract any Goldfinches that are in your area, it's also enjoyed by other Finches and Siskins too.

Fats and Suet in any shape or form will attract a wide variety of birds and help provide them with the high levels of protein and calories that their metabolism requires. Snack Balls, Filled Coconut shells, Suet Blocks are all really good and easy to use.

The semi-moist pelleted form of suet loved by absolutely all garden birds! Easily picked up and taken away to eat which is a real advantage when they need to be wary of predators lurking around the feeding area. These suet treats are also one of the first foods that can be taken back to the nest and fed to the young.