You get so many birds! What food do you use?

Above: Our deck railing where we feed the birds

Food is a wonderful motivator for most living creatures! My photography at AzarÉl Greetings is solidly based on bribery! It’s my goal to create an irresistible buffet. The foods in my smorgasbord appeal to woodland wildlife in the northeastern United States. Read on to find which foods I’ve selected and who loves each kind. Always offer clean water beside the buffet for drinking and bathing.

Why Create My Own Buffet?
For some of us, feeding the birds has its own itemized line in the budget! If that’s the case, it’s cheaper to create your own buffet for the birds. Select the foods that match the birds who visit your backyard. Buy each seed separately at a local feed mill or farm supply store.  There won’t be any filler seeds that the birds toss on the ground. You’ll get much more bang for your buck!

Black-Oil Sunflower Seeds (Two cups to start the day and then more)
If I had to choose just one food, it would be black-oil sunflower seeds. The thin shells are easy to crack by birds of all sizes. They also contain high fat content. They attract an incredibly large number of birds: chickadees, finches, nuthatches, woodpeckers, tufted titmice, cardinals, catbirds, finches, mourning doves, and more! Chipmunks can stuff an incredible number of sunflower seeds into those puffy cheeks!

Love them or hate them, black-oil sunflower seeds also attract bushy-tailed tree-crawlers with bottomless pits. (Sigh.) Fortunately for me, squirrels provide a lot of content for the Laughter Line of AzarÉl Greetings. I’ve found that the squirrels will only go away when the food is gone. Serving in small portions throughout the day allows my songbirds to get their fair share of the sunflower seeds.

If you serve peanuts, there are sure to be blue jays. At our home, there’s a little group that gathers for a breakfast of peanuts every day. Even when I’m only two feet away from the food, they swoop in, grab their food and go in an instant! Typically, I serve one cup of peanuts a day. Many times, the blue jays greedily gobble them up. I wait for the blue jays to leave and serve the other little peanut-lovers.

 Cracked Corn (1/2 cup)
While birds will eat whole kernels of corn, it takes a lot more effort. Cracked corn fits the size of their beak and is easier to handle. A half-cup of cracked corn goes a long way.  It’s a favorite of cardinals. I covet any chance to get my camera on this gorgeous bird. Groups of mourning doves also gather around it. Blue jays enjoy it too.

Nijer / Thistle (1/4 cup)
Nijer attracts little flying sunbeams, otherwise known as American goldfinches. Thistle is best served in a tube feeder that gives food the most protection from the rain. I put a tiny pile on the platform hoping against hope to entice them into photographs.

Suet
Suet is one of the best winter foods for birds. It’s a source of protein when insects are scarce. The high fat content provides energy needed for keeping the birds warm. It’s great, easy-to-digest nutrition. Since birds love it so much, I also use it in spring and fall. Suet crumbs can be scraped off and easily hidden in the scenery that I photograph. Even though the crumbs are small, the birds easily spot it!

Meal Worms (A Tablespoon at a time)
Bluebirds find meal worms delectable, delicious, and downright scrumptious! From March through early June, I feed them live meal worms. Having a handy food source makes our property an attractive nesting site. All kinds of happy mother birds love feeding them to their babies. If the birds are slow to find the worms, they literally crawl away! My source for live meal worms in bulk is https://unclejimswormfarm.com/order-stuff/buy-meal-worms/ They are nearby and dependable. Live mealworms are available from many online places in bulk.

In some cases, birds enjoy dried meal worms. They were not effective for me in enticing bluebirds. However, once bluebirds were on my property and were treated to live meal worms, they also accepted the dried version. Right now, in August, the birds do not seem to have a taste for dried meal worms.

Special feeders are available for meal worms. This way, only smaller birds can get access to the food.  Larger birds, like robins, are bottomless pits when it comes to meal worms! I have nothing against the larger birds. It’s just that you can hear the sounds of lots of money disappearing into their stomachs. Ka-ching!

Black-oil sunflower seeds, unsalted peanuts, cracked corn, thistle, mealworms, and suet will entice a wonderful array of your feathery friends and backyard critters. Always, ALWAYS have fresh water available for them. It will make them as happy as this little chippy!

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