Our Favorite Seed Mix

Regardless of the time of year, providing an appealing seed mix for the birds who visit you is key. The best feeder will see little use if the seed you use is not to the birds' liking.  Areas of the country in which winter is harsh present a further challenge. Additional nutritious items such as meat suet and suet cakes should be offered as they provide a high energy source to help sustain your visitors throughout the winter months.

For year round use, we recommend a combination of black/oil sunflower and safflower with an approximate ratio of 5 to 1 respectively. Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, Blue Jays, all the Sparrow family and f inches, including House Finches and Goldfinches (these guys don't eat just thistle/nyjer seed), Doves and many others will appreciate this menu offering. Our experience demonstrates that you can't go wrong with this mix. Seed such as millet and corn can attract some unwanted visitors such as starlings and grackles. These more predatory birds, who will scatter preferred song birds as they swoop in to feed, may still visit your feeding stations filled with our favorite mix, but their presence should be more limited.

So enjoy this tried and true mix. And experiment with the combination of the two seeds. You may find that the birds in your area prefer one over the other. Also, we have discovered that the time of year can have an affect on the concentration of oil sunflower to safflower mix that your birds prefer. Keep an eye out. Your birds will tell you what recipe is preferred at any given time. 

Support Staff - the Outdoor Nature Resource.com