When it comes to feeding birds, be sure to use the appropriate seed. Consider what kinds of birds you wish
to attract to your yard, and put out the appropriate seed in your feeders.
- Black oil sunflower seed is the closest to a universally accepted birdseed. Cardinals and goldfinches love it.
- Buckwheat and cracked corn attract mourning doves. Avoiding cracked corn in your birdseed mix will help to minimize the population of grackles and mourning doves at your feeders.
- Quality canary seed attracts house sparrows. Song sparrows have an even stronger preference for it than house sparrows.
- Safflower, in our experience, may be the last birdseed you will ever buy. Very few birds will eat it, but squirrels don’t like it either, which is why it is often sold as “squirrel-free.” Worth thinking this one over before you buy.
- Black-striped sunflower seeds are preferred by most songbirds. The smaller the seed, the better.
- Thistle is the number one choice for attracting finches. Goldfinches are brownish in colour this time of year but change to brilliant yellow in the spring. Unsalted, shelled peanuts are candy for most woodpeckers and blue jays.
- Quality suet—unsalted and full of nuts or meal worms—is an excellent way to attract woodpeckers to your yard.
When you feed the birds, locate within a metre (3 feet) of a window or more than 10 metres (33 feet) from a window. Within a metre, birds cannot build up enough speed to hurt themselves too seriously if they hit the window, while more than 10 metres away provides them with an opportunity to veer away from the window when they realize it is not a thoroughfare to another part of your garden.
