? for those that feed birds.

[josiespcah6ojsh]

i got a feeder for the first time. i plan on filling half with grains and seeds,half with fruit and nuts. if i give birds grains that i buy like,bulgar or quinoa, does it need to be cooked? the grains i buy for me are too much for one person. also i found a worm,small brown that curls in the food,but i think that it was the only one. is it still ok? i am also going to buy a cake with suet and black sunflour seeds.i use a pole that you put in the ground and hang the feeder on. pretty cool.

laura

[Pam_90]

Do you have a store that sells just bird product, ie food, feeders, bird houses, bird books, etc? The ones we have in town are a wonderful source of info regarding the birds in the area and what they will eat. If you don't have such stores locally, how about searching for such info by googling bird feeding and your area. Bird food sold around here, in grocery and discount stores, has a lot of millet in them. The millet is just filler as the local birds won't touch the stuff. Where do you live?

I really enjoy having birds feeders (3 of them year around and a hummingbird one in the summer also). I have got to know the birds in this area much more than I would have without the feeders. Some bird species are here year around and others are just for here a few months each year. Fun to watch the parents bring their young and stuff food down through mouths to shut them up. The young slowly learn about the feeders.

I started putting out suet about a year ago and only than did the woodpeckers (downy and hairy) start showing up. They are now my favorites to watch.

[geomom]

You will attract the largest variety of seed-eating birds by offering black oil sunflower seeds. The millet is largely enjoyed by ground eating birds such as juncos. So the other birds will kick it out of the feeder, it lands on the ground where juncos (and doves, too, I believe) will eat it.

You don't need to cook the grains before feeding the birds. They might enjoy quinoa. It is a pretty expensive grain so you don't see it in commercial mixes. Not so sure about the bulgur. Is there a place where you can offer it seperately and observe if they are eating it? If you are offering more traditional things and they leave the bulgur alone, they probably don't like it

[Pam_90]

My Junco must be very picky eaters ;=)) No millet for them.

[josiespcah6ojsh]

i decided to make half black sunflower seeds,half grains. also buy another feeder since thier cheap and put in nuts and fruit-though will that be a prob with ants? i live in the south-TX. i live in an apartment but my patio faces a huge area of grass with some bushes and trees.

thankx

laura

[josiespcah6ojsh]

one more ?-i plan on buying a bowl for water.should i simply put it on the floor or use a table?

laura