Go to a store that sells bird seed and you will find dozens of choices. But there is no such thing as a universal, one-size-fits-all bird food. To attract lots of birds, I have found that it is necessary to offer a variety of seeds and food.
I have two seed feeders, two suet feeder, a thistle feeder for birds which come to feeders, plus I scatter tons of seeds in the back for ground feeders. Doves, for one, don’t come to feeders. Their bodies are too fat and their legs too short, so I feed them on the ground. Doves have a hard time with whole corn, but they enjoy cracked corn, as do sparrows and jays. Cracked corn is fairly inexpensive at about $7 for a 10 pound bag.
I also buy separate bags of finch food – small seeds including thistle and millet as well as tiny pieces of sunflower chips.
The little birds – the sparrows, titmice, snowbirds and even the doves – love this variety. Naturally, I keep a feeder of sunflower hearts or chips which draws cardinals, bluebirds, various woodpeckers and nuthatches, finches, titmice and wrens. Sometimes sparrows will fly to this feeder but they really prefer scratching the ground for seeds.
I have also been buying peanuts. I have a flock of 7 blue jays that waits for me each morning as I walk to the back and toss out a scoop or two of peanuts. The jays quickly gobble them up before the squirrels arrive.
My main seed is the Supreme Blend from Sam’s Club, a great buy at about twenty bucks for a 40 pound bag. It includes sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, raisins and a few peanuts.
I spend a hefty sum each year on bird seed, but bird watching is something I really enjoy – and I have a great variety of birds to see and enjoy