Sometimes I feel like John the Baptist – a Voice Crying in the Wilderness preaching the gospel of sunflower hearts. Next thing you know, I’ll be eating locusts. In the meantime, Fellow Birders, please put some sunflower hearts in your feeders.
I have been feeding my resident pair of bluebirds and their recent hatchlings meal worms, to save wear and tear on Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird and they genuinely appreciate not having to catch every one of the nestling’s meals in midair. But in between feedings, the bluebird parents have been making regular visits to my sunflower heart feeder. They take those seeds and feed them to their babies. Sunflower hearts are the only seeds the babies can digest. In fact, they are the only seeds that adults can eat since bluebirds are unable to take the husks off other seeds – like whole sunflower or safflower seeds.
A 5-pound pack of sunflower hearts (sunflower chips work as well) costs about $12, but they are worth it. Or so says, Jim the Baptist.