Her relative had a passion for feeding backyard birds, and Elson has carried on the tradition for the past 30 years, in turn passing on her enjoyment and dedication to her own children. When she was about 8 years old, Judy Elson received a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle from her great-aunt that featured North American birds. Don’t offer it in tube feeders that could harbor moisture.This story was originally published by Ensia. Popped corn spoils quickly.Ĭorn should be offered in fairly small amounts at a time on tray feeders. Never offer buttered popcorn or any kind of microwave popcorn. It is highly toxic to humans, livestock, and all birds. Corn intended for planting is often treated with fungicides, marked with red dye as a warning. Never buy corn in plastic bags, never allow it to get wet, never offer it in amounts that can’t be consumed in a day during rainy or very humid weather, and be conscientious about raking up old corn. Second, corn is the bird food most likely to be contaminated with aflatoxins, which are extremely toxic even at low levels. First, it’s a favorite of House Sparrows, cowbirds, starlings, geese, bears, raccoons, and deer-none of which should be subsidized by us. Unfortunately, corn has two serious problems. Food and Feeder Preferences of Common Feeder BirdsĬorn is eaten by grouse, pheasants, turkeys, quails, cardinals, grosbeaks, crows, ravens, jays, doves, ducks, cranes, and other species.

Check out Project FeederWatch for More Resources Sunflower hearts and chips shouldn’t be offered in tube feeders where moisture can collect.

Sunflower in the shell can be offered in a wide variety of feeders, including trays, tube feeders, hoppers, and acrylic window feeders. Some kinds of squirrel baffles, and some specialized feeders, are fairly good at excluding them. Sunflower is very attractive to squirrels, a problem for people who don’t wish to subsidize them. Without the protection of the shell, sunflower hearts and chips quickly spoil, and can harbor dangerous bacteria, so it’s important to offer no more than can be eaten in a day or two. Many birds love this, as of course do squirrels, and it’s expensive. People living in apartments or who have trouble raking up seed shells under their feeders often offer shelled sunflower. So if you’re inundated with species you’d rather not subsidize at your black oil sunflower, before you do anything else, try switching to striped sunflower. Striped sunflower seeds have a thicker shell, much harder for House Sparrows and blackbirds to crack open. The black oil seeds (“oilers”) have very thin shells, easy for virtually all seed-eating birds to crack open, and the kernels within have a high fat content, extremely valuable for most winter birds. There are two kinds of sunflower-black oil and striped.

Feeding the birds at your table