Georgia

FEED THE BIRDS

The following is a list of the most commonly available seed for birds in the Southeast, and the kinds of birds you can expect to attract.

Striped Sunflower Seeds
(1/2 inch long)

These hulls are too thick for small birds to break open, but birds that do like this sunflower seed are:

• Cardinals
• Blue jays
• Grosbeaks
• Chickadees
• Titmice
• Nuthatches
• Woodpeckers

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
(1/4 inch long)

A premium bird seed. More birds will eat these small oil-rich seeds than any other kind. The thinner hull makes them easier to break open. Put this seed in at least one of your birdfeeders to attract a variety of birds.

Hulled Sunflower Seeds (Chips & Hearts)

A good choice if you do not want to have to rake up the seed coats that accumulate under your feeder. This is a good choice for a bird feeder on your patio, porch or deck. All seed-eating birds like this seed, and especially:

• Goldfinches
• Siskins
• House Finches
• Carolina Chickadees

Safflower Seeds

Neither squirrels nor blackbirds like this seed. Birds that do like this seed:

• Doves
• Cardinals
• House Finches
• White-throated Sparrows
• Tufted Titmice

White Proso Millet Seeds

This small, round, bone-colored seed is often found in wild bird seed mixes. This is a good mix for ground-feeding birds, or for use in platform feeders.

• Doves
• Cardinals
• Towhees
• Juncos
• Sparrows

Red Millet Seeds

Often found in seed mixes. Birds do not like it as much as white millet, but birds that will eat red millet are:

• Doves
• Sparrows

Milo Seeds

A sorghum grain often found in wild bird seed mixes. Many birds do not like milo seeds because of their bitter taste. Most Southern birds will rake these seeds out of the feeder and leave them to germinate in your yard. Try to buy mixes with little or no milo seeds.

Thistle Seeds

This seed comes from the niger plant that grows in India and Northeast Africa. These seeds are imported and heat-treated to prevent them from germinating in your yard. This seed should only be used in a feeder specially designed to dispense thistle seed (Tube Feeders). This seed is more expensive than other seeds, but it will disappear at a much slower rate, and attract some of the most beautiful birds. Birds that like thistle seed:

• American Goldfinches
• Pine Siskins
• Purple Finches
• House Finches
• Carolina Chickadees

Suet Cakes

Readily available in stores selling birdseed. Look for no-melt suet dough cakes for use in the summer, or your suet will melt right out of the holder. The inexpensive cakes are just as good as the expensive cakes - birds love all of them. Birds that like suet cakes:

• Woodpeckers
• Carolina Chickadees
• Tufted Titmice
• Carolina Wrens
• Nuthatches
• Brown Creepers
• Warblers
• European Starlings
• Thrushes
• Eastern Bluebirds

Nectar

The commercial brands of ready-to-use nectar frequently contain red dye, which may be harmful to birds' kidneys. Make your own sugar-water nectar by using one part sugar to four parts boiling water - do not add red dye or honey. Hummingbird feeder manufacturers are now making feeders with sufficient red areas on them to attract hummingbirds, so you can use your own sugar water (refrigerate any leftovers). Be sure to read Hummingbirds Galore to find out how to attract hummingbirds to your landscape naturally.

Fridge Food

Cranberries: Buy an extra bag of cranberries during the holidays. Bluebirds have difficulty cracking open the seeds offered to other birds, which is why you won't find them near your feeders. However, they will eat cranberries.
Crushed Egg Shells: Almost all birds like crushed egg shells (which are high in calcium), particularly adult females in the spring and summer when they are nesting.

Bird Baths & Fountains

Provide a clean, shallow bath for the birds. (Never use harsh chemicals to clean your bird bath. Household vinegar is a practical cleaning agent.) Remember to fill the bird bath throughout the winter, and keep it out of full sun in the summer to prevent bacteria and algae.

By placing a bird bath in the vicinity of shrubs and trees, you can provide quick access to protective covering for the birds.

Do not place the bath near feeders where it will collect debris.

Create moving water in your backyard with a fountain. This will help birds recognize the water source and increase the number of bird species in your backyard.

Resources