caro12
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:44 pm Posts: 72 Location: U.K.
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Top 5 Wild Bird Foods
Hi
1. Sunflower Seeds : Black-oil seeds rank as the single best wild bird food. These small. thin-shelled seeds are easy to open and are rich in fat and protein. Virtually every bird that visits backyard bird feeders eats black-oil seeds. They work well by themselves or as the primary ingredient in quality mixes.
2. Nuts : Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds and other nuts are natural, nutritious, energy foods for many birds, especially woodpeckers, jays, chickadees, and nuthatches. Nuts are more expensive than sunflower seeds. But after birders discover how much birds love nuts, there's no turning back! But squirrels and chipmunks love nuts, too, so nut feeders must be as squirrel-resistant as possible
3. Nyjer (thistle) : Nyjer is a high-calorie finch magnet. Imported from Africa and Asia, again it can be pricey. Doves and many native sparrows clean up the spillage from the tiny seed ports of finch feeders, which are designed to exclude larger birds. Contrary to its popular nickname, nyjer is not a thistle, It will not germinate and invade backyards and gardens. Nyjer is sterilized before it enters the USA.
4. Live Food : Live food is a real treat to most birds during winter. Woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches ignore nuts and sunflower seeds when live food is available. Even birds such as bluebirds and robins, which rarely visit feeders, enjoy live food. Mealworms (beetle larva) and wax worms (bee moth larva) are available from several suppliers.
5. Suet : In the wild, high energy animal fat or suet from carcasses sustains many wild birds. Fortunately commercially packaged suet cakes serve the same purpose. Suet cakes come in many pure suet, suet-peanut butter blends and suet mixed with a variety of seeds and nuts. Birds love them all.
Keep sharing and reading Thanks
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