Birdfeeders

Sunflower seeds are a favorite among the vast majority of birds, so if you are only going to have one bird feeder or it is your first bird feeder, be sure it is one that holds sunflower seeds. The best choices are a tube bird feeder or a hopper bird feeder. Birds love sunflower seeds because it is so easy for them to crack open the thin shell to get to the fat-laden seed. There are three types of sunflower seeds - black oil, striped and hulled. Each type has advantages. The black oil is the most popular type for they contain more fat then the larger striped variety. The striped seed is much larger so takes a big beak to crack the shell. Cardinals, jays and grosbeaks actually look for these for there is less competition for them. The nice thing about hulled seeds is there is no mess of empty shells below the hopper bird feeder and no waste. With no shells to break open, other birds such as woodpeckers and mockingbirds may be tempted to visit your bird feeder. Many birds need a lot of sunflower seeds in the winter to survive. Consider the black-capped chickadee. It needs to eat the equivalent of 150 sunflower seeds in a day. When it is very cold, this number can easily be 250 seeds a day. It will take a large tube feeder or hopper feeder to satisfy the winter needs of a few chickadees!