Imagine a bowl of trail mix in front of you. Assuming no nut allergies, you may be faced with peanuts, cashews, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and M&Ms. Many people high-grade, sifting through and picking out favourites and leaving the rest behind. I know I end up eating a lot of peanuts and sunflower seeds if my wife and son have beaten me to the mix!
Now, imagine being REALLY hungry, standing outside in -35°C weather, and trying to do the same thing with fingers so cold they can barely move.
This is what birds are faced with when we fill our feeders with big-box-store-bulk bird feed. Although they appear to be a good deal, these bird feeds are chock-full of fillers that birds simply cant or dont eat, which forces them to sort through and find the things they can and do. Plus, with many of these bulk feeds, the sunflower seeds are poor-quality duds with smaller, if any seed within the shell. Imagine the disappointment after taking the time to find the sunflower seed, open it, and discover its empty (remember, its also -35°C out). AND, many of the large-scale seed producers are not organic or non-GMO, and/or use pesticides containing neonicotinoids, which are considered culprits in the declines in the populations of both pollinator insects and the birds that eat them.
Just as we pride ourselves in supporting Canadian artists and carrying high-quality products, we are equally proud of the quality of bird food we carry. Ours is non-GMO, neonic-free, high-quality (including larger seeds in a greater proportion of sunflower shells). We also include feeds with pre-shelled (hulled) seeds to reduce the time and energy birds need to spend accessing precious calories in cold weather. All of this contributes to healthier birds with potentially higher survival rates through the coldest months.
This is true of our suet, as well. Our supplier, Mill Creek, is an expert in making top-quality suet thats shipped all over Canada (weve even had requests to ship to the US!).
Feeder manufacturer, Brome, produced a 2-minute video about Mill Creek suet. A couple of years ago, they released a Squirrel Buster suet feeder that holds 2 suet cakes and is guaranteed for life. We throw in two cakes for free with the purchase of one of these beauties! You can learn check out the Squirrel Buster suet feeder in action in this 2-minute YouTube video by Brome.
Also, a quick reminder that its important to clean feeders regularly throughout the year to help prevent illness or death from moldy or rotten food. Check out Garden Gate Episode 123 for a quick review of feeder cleaning practices.
Good news! Seed prices dropped a bit in October. Remember to sign up for our Buy 12, Get One Free program
Imagine trying to do the same task with fingers so cold they can hardly move while standing outside in -35°C of freezing weather and extreme hunger.
The maker of feeders, Brome, created a two-minute film about Mill Creek Suet. A few years back, they introduced the Squirrel Buster suet feeder, which comes with a lifetime guarantee and can hold two suet cakes. When you buy one of these beauties, we’ll throw in two cakes for free! Watch this 2-minute YouTube video by Brome to see the Squirrel Buster suet feeder in action.
Imagine a bowl of trail mix in front of you. If you’re not allergic to nuts, you could eat cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, and M Many “high-grade,” sorting through, selecting their favorites, and discarding the remainder. If my wife and son have beaten me to the mix, then I know I end up eating a lot of peanuts and sunflower seeds!
Also, a quick reminder that its important to clean feeders regularly throughout the year to help prevent illness or death from moldy or rotten food. Check out Garden Gate Episode 123 for a quick review of feeder cleaning practices.
When we put big-box store bulk bird feed in our feeders, the birds have to deal with this. These bird feeds look like a good deal, but they are packed with fillers that birds can’t or won’t eat, forcing them to pick through and find what they can and will eat. Furthermore, a lot of these bulk feeds contain low-quality sunflower seeds, or “duds,” with little to no seed inside the shell. Imagine the disappointment when you finally locate the sunflower seed, open it, and find it empty (keep in mind that the outside temperature is -35°C). Furthermore, a large number of large-scale seed producers use pesticides containing neonicotinoids, which are thought to be the cause of the declines in the populations of pollinator insects and the birds that eat them. These seed producers are either not organic or non-GMO.
Planting Nuts and Berries for Birds
It’s easiest to feed berries and nuts to birds without using any feeders at all. Planting berry bushes and trees and shrubs that yield nuts provides birds with a sustainable, natural food source. They will happily forage for themselves.
Consider the local climate, sunlight availability, and soil quality in addition to choosing native plant varieties. This will enable you to identify plants that require the least amount of upkeep and care. A more plentiful and long-lasting food supply can also be ensured by selecting various nut and berry-producing plant varieties with varying maturation, ripening, and harvesting times. In order to give birds a consistent winter food supply, plants that retain their berries or nuts well into the winter months will be especially valuable.
Let the berries and nuts drop to the ground as they ripen throughout the summer and fall; do not rake the leaves. Ground-feeding birds will gladly sift through the debris to find every morsel, including turkeys, doves, quail, and towhees. Any food scraps could reseed and produce more plants, which could yield even more food in the future.
You should never feed seasoned or salted foods to birds
Filling Feeders With Nuts and Berries
Its easy to add these healthy, natural foods to feeders. You can add berries and nuts to tray or open dish feeders. These larger foods can also be added to broad wire mesh feeders or hopper or tube feeders with wide feeding ports.
Although larger berries could be crushed or chopped to make them easier for smaller bills to handle, berries can be served whole. Sprigs of berries can also be added to feeders. Birds will happily pluck the treats off each branch.
An additional choice are dried berries like currants, cranberries, and raisins. But be careful not to serve an excessive amount of berries at once, as they will quickly rot and ferment if not consumed right away.
Because they are more durable, nuts will last longer in larger feeders. You can provide birds with whole, shelled, or chopped nuts in tray, dish, or mesh feeders. Nut butters are also excellent for birds; you can spread them on tree trunks so that sly birds can nibble on them. However, nuts can also mold, so it’s best to keep them as dry as possible to reduce waste and spoiling.