Introduction to Best Bird Feed for Wild Birds

If you enjoy nature and bird watching in particular or any other wildlife, then it can be very fulfilling to ensure that the wild birds visit your backyard. One of the best ways of achieving this is by availing the proper bird feed which captures the relevant information. But what must really be considered as the best bird feed for the wild birds? This type of content will aim at identifying the best types of bird feed, how to select the right one together with other factors.

Why Bird Feed is Important

There are few limitations to what kinds of food can be given to the birds but bird feed is important in supplementing the wild birds’ diet especially during winter or when the supply of food in the wild may be low. This means that birds feeding on these SHF screws, they will have good appetite and energy for whichever activity they are involved in. In order to determine the type of feed to give wild birds one has to consider the nutritional requirements of wild birds.

Types of Bird Feed for Wild Birds

Depending on the type of birds, there are several kinds of bird feed available in the market today. Here are several of the best and efficient types:

1. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

of black oil sunflower seeds, many bird species can be attracted to the feeder. These are minute seeds with energy-dense fat contents making these seeds to have great nutritional values. It is seeds such as the sunflower, red safflower, nyjer or the black-oil which attracts birds such as finches, chickadees and cardinals. The thin melanine shell which makes the fish easy to capture make it possible for small birds to crack open.

2. Nyjer Seed

Thistle seed or known by its other name Nyjer seeds is ideal for feeding finches. They have high minerals, oil, and protein which are requirements of the small birds of prey. Nyjer seed is best used in tube and sock feeders which are designed to feed the finches birds only.

3. Safflower Seeds

Indeed when it comes to attracting cardinal, doves, and woodpeckers safflower seeds are among the best to use. Safflower seeds cannot be easily consumed by small animals particularly and commonly referred to as squirrels and this makes it even more appropriate for those who wish to safely grow the seeds with minimal losses due to these animals.

4. Suet Cakes

Suet is a high-energy food that is a perfect substitute for cracked corn and sunflower seeds for woodpeckers, nuthatches and any insect eating birds. Suet is a British traditional food product that is made from animal fat combined with seeds, nuts or fruits. They are particularly suitable in winter since birds need more energy to keep themselves warm.

5. Mealworms

The insects which are properly known as mealworms, are commonly known to be used as a feed for insectivorous birds such as the bluebirds, robins and wrens among others. It contains proteins and is a natural food source that most of the birds fancy. Some of them are dried or live mealworms which you can use to feed the birds found in your compound.

6. Mixed Bird Seed

What can be best suited for a mix of seeds for birds is that it will provide food to the birds that are suitable for their health, as well as it will cover a large variety of birds. They will feed them with seed mix, which should consist of sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn. But always beware of the mixed bird seed as some of them contain filler seeds that the birds do not eat.

Choosing the Right Bird Feed

While choosing bird feed for wild birds there are the following factors that should be taken into account:

Bird Species

There are different species of birds, and there are varying tendencies between them with regards to the types of seeds that they are most likely to take. It is also important that you select the right type of feed for the birds you wish to attract to your garden. For instance, sparrows are likely to feed on millet while the finches prefer thistle seed.

Season

Different birds have different demands on their diets according to the availability of the food they require in different periods of the year. In the winter for instance, one will require foods such as sunflower seeds and suet, which are rich in energy. During flocks warm, the birds may require vegetation such as the fresh fruits and seeds especially the millet.

Location

Feeder type also determines the type of feed that is given; it means that the feeder entirely depends with the feed. Nyjer seed is best fed using tube feeders while mixed seeds are well supplied on platform feeders.

Best Bird Feeders to Use

Depending with the feeder you put up, you will attract certain birds to your compound and the feeding rates that they will exhibit. Below are some feeder types that are used regularly:

Tube Feeders

Great for small seeds like Nyjer and sunflower seeds. It has small openings that can only allow passage of small birds thus only those bird will feed from these feeders.

Platform Feeders

These open feeders and suited for mixed seed blends and able to support the larger bird species such as doves and jays.

Suet Feeders

Suet feeders are specially made to contain cakes of suet and different insectivorous birds such as those that include woodpeckers and nuthatches.

Hopper Feeders

These feeders store more quantities of the seeds mixture and these feeders can be used by many kinds of bird.

Tips for Attracting More Birds

• Place feeders in a safe location: Keep feeders away from predators like cats.
• Supply fresh water: Just like man, birds require water for drinking and other activities such as the bathing of the birds.
• Batch feeding is also important because: Some feeders are usually dirty and may lead to diseases spreading among birds. It is recommended to clean them at least once in two weeks
• Do not feed: Bread should not be given to birds because it is not good for their health.

Conclusion

Selecting the best feed for the wild birds means you have to know what the specific species you want to feed on need and what type of feed to use. Sunflowers seeds, Nyjer seeds, suet cakes, or a blend of a wild bird seed mix depended on the volume of the r food that you are offering to the wild birds, matters a lot in the proper nutrition of the birds.

Therefore , it is important to choose your bird feed depending on the season, location and feeder type so that within several weeks you will attract various beautiful birds to the garden.