If you go into most serious birders garages you will find black oil sunflower seeds. These seeds are the best option for feeding birds. They attract a greater number of bird species. They are also more nutritious, and make birding easier.
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Check PriceWhy Backyard Birders Prefer Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
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What sets black oil sunflower seeds apart is their high oil content and thin shells. Stiped sunflower seeds have tougher and thicker hulls making them more difficult for birds to open. Because of this, smaller birds such as chickadees, nuthatches, and finches are able to get to the seeds without wasting energy on the difficult to open shells. This ease of access for the birds means that you'll have more visitors at your bird feeder.
The oil content is an advantage. Black oil sunflower seeds have around 40% fat by weight, while stripec varieties have around 25%. That extra fat gives birds the calorie rich fuel they need especially during migration and the cold winter months. Plus seeds with higher fat content taste better to birds (yes, they do have preferences) meaning they'll choose your feeder over others in the neighborhood.
**Another bonus?** Black oil sunflower seeds attract the widest variety of species. Since these seeds are a reliable and high-quality food source, cardinals, jays, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, and many more tend to visit. If you plan to stock just one type of seed, this is the one that will bring the most activity to your yard.
Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Bird Food 25lb
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Not all black oil sunflower seeds are the same. Choose seeds that are plump and shiny and have no dust at the bottom of the bag. Bags with dust and broken shells are older stock, and birds will avoid them.
Year-Round Nutritional Powerhouse for Birds
Birds have highly active lifestyles and require special nutrition. For instance, a chickadee's heart beats more than five hundred times each minute. Even in sub zero temperatures, cardinals can sustain their body temperatures. Migrating warblers fly hundreds of miles without stopping. All of these activities require energy and black oil sunflower seeds offer them plenty of that.
Sunflower seeds have about 20% protein. Protein helps birds build muscle. The unsaturated fat supports energy needs, gives the birds enough calories to stay warm and endure. Sunflower seeds also have vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium which are important for a birds immune health.
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It is crucial to have specific nutrition during winter. The overwintering birds black oil sunflower seeds. They can mean the difference between survival and starvation. The fat content helps them maintain body temperature through freezing nights. The protein supports the birds foraging activity.
Parents birds take food to their babies in the nest. Therefore, the food taken from the nest, has to be high quality and nutritious for the babies to grow and develop. Quality food is given by parent birds to their babies at the time of breeding, and, after their babies have hatched, parent birds may need to quickly grab high-quality food from your feeder and return to the nest so that they deliver excellent nutrition to their young. Black oil sunflower seeds are very dependable and provide nourishment that helps the bird population thrive.
Did You Know?
In the winter season, a chickadee must consume 60% of its body weight daily in order to stay alive. One black oil sunflower seed contains enough calories to sustain activity for approximately 15 minutes.
Which Backyard Favorites Will Come To Your Feeders
As soon as you begin providing black oil sunflower seeds, you should expect to watch an incredible array of birds. Northern Cardinals are often the first to arrive—and what a striking sight! They and their fawn-colored female equivalents are avid visitors of sunflower seed feeders. They often bring their young and make frequent stops to feeders to feed their fledglings during the day.
Chickadees are assuredly going to visit your bird feeder! These little birds are very acrobatic and will zip in and out to grab seeds from the feeder, then fly to a branch to open the seed and will return for more. Carolina and black-capped chickadees will be regular visitors if your feeder has black oil sunflower seeds!
The tufted titmice, like their relatives the chickadees, are also very excited. These light gray birds with crests will often take over your feeder with their big personalities. You'll also get nuthatches, both white-breasted and red-breasted, who will store seeds in the bark of the trees and will then open them with their strong beaks.
House finches, purple finches, and goldfinches all easily eat black oil sunflower seeds, but goldfinches might choose nyjer instead. From small downy woodpeckers to large pileated woodpeckers, all of them come to feeders that have these seeds. Regular visitors to the feeders include blue jays, mourning doves, and grosbeaks. Surprise visitors may include evening grosbeaks during irruption years or pine siskins.
What you see will vary based on your location and which season it is. However, black oil sunflower seeds will best attract the greatest variety of species to your backyard.
Helpful Hints for Beginning to Use Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
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Check PriceStarting out is simple. First, select the correct feeder. Tube feeders are good for small birds, such as finches and chickadees. Hopper feeders are for larger species, such as cardinals and jays. Platform feeders attract ground-feeding birds. Many birding enthusiasts use numerous feeder types to attract different species at the same time.
Brabtod Airtight Bird Seed Storage Container
Check PriceConsider carefully where to buy seeds. When possible, choose stores with a high turnover rate so seeds have not been sitting in warehouses for months. Keep in mind the importance of storing seeds correctly; they should be in a sealed container in a cool and dry place to maintain their quality and to prevent the seeds from getting pests and moisture. Regarding quality, freshness of seeds is important; old or moldy seeds can make birds sick.
People often complain about black oil sunflower seeds because they can be messy. When birds crack open the seeds, they throw the shells on the ground. This creates a mess that can kill grass areas underneath the bird feeder. Here are some ideas to reduce this problem: install the feeder over a mulch area, gravel area, or gravel surface instead of grass. Try breaking up the mess yourself by raking the area underneath the feeder. Also, try buying seeds that are pre-shelled. They're known as hulled sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, or sunflower seed chips. They will cost more, but they will eliminate the problem of shells, as there are none.
To prevent waste, use feeders that have good drainage and covers that protect wet seeds which can mold. In addition, only fill feeders to the level that the birds will eat in a few days. Reducing the amount of seed left to spoil, will keep seed fresh.
Lastly, maintain your bird feeders regularly. Wash the feeders every few weeks with a diluted bleach solution to prevent the spread of disease. Place feeders near natural barriers to make the birds feel safer from predators, but far enough from windows to reduce the likelihood of bird strikes. If you follow these guidelines, you will appreciate the bird watching station you’ve built just as much as the birds will appreciate it!
