There are a good number of choices out there when it comes to bird seed. Over the next few Wednesdays, I'll cover some of the seed options, the pro's and con's of, what birds they attract, and what feeders I'd recommend using with them. This week's featured seed is Safflower.
Safflower is a distaff thistle which hails from the Mediterranean, particularly northern Africa. Its seeds are small, white, and hard like rocks. It's not typically found in your generic wild bird seed mixes, but can be found by itself or in specialty mixes.
Safflower's biggest pro is that feeder pests are generally not interested in it. House Sparrows, Starlings, and Squirrels will generally not eat Safflower seeds.
The biggest problem with Safflower seed is that it can make a really big mess. Assuming the birds are eating all of the seeds, the hulls or outer casing of the seed will be discarded on the ground. The pile builds up quick and isn't easy to rake up. It's also been my experience that certain birds, particularly House Finches, will discard a good amount of whole seeds. These seeds may also germinate.
Safflower seed is pretty good for attracting birds. We've found that if you have Safflower seed the arrival of House Finches and Morning Doves is guaranteed. We have also found that Cardinals, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, Dark Eyed Juncos, and Black Capped Chickadees will dine on this seed.
Initially we had this seed in a hopper feeder which had little to no tray. The volume of seed being tossed to the ground was enormous. We quickly learned that this will not work for Safflower seeds. Hopper feeders are fine so long as they have a good-sized tray. We are also now using a tray feeder which helped prevent a lot of waste. The sides of the tray feed have made it more difficult for the birds to simply discard seed. I'd highly recommend trying to use something like a tray feeder or a hopper feeder that has some edging to help prevent messes under your feeders.
No comments:
Post a Comment