For The Birds

susanm9006

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Like a lot of cat owners I have a couple of bird feeders because watching them is enjoyable for both me and Willow. But along with birds comes squirrels. While also entertaining they can be expensive if they steal all the bird seed and last year they actually broke an expensive feeder by jumping off the roof onto it dozens of times. I do feed them corn every day but what they want is the expensive sunflower seeds in the bird feeders.

But several weeks ago my local bird store introduced me to Golden Safflower. It has a thinner shell than white safflower, so little birds like Chickadees will eat it and it turns out all my visiting birds from wrens to Cardinals and even woodpeckers love it. And best of all the squirrels have no interest at all in it. It runs a couple dollars a pound but I go through so much less seed that cost wise it’s about the same. And much less cleanup as well since the husks are so tiny they just blow away. Definitely worth trying!
 

Furballsmom

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Oh, wow, I have a birdfeeding relation who'll be thrilled with this because she not only has squirrels, she has to constantly tell her dog to stop eating the fallen husks LOL - thank you!!
 
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susanm9006

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Yeah, Furballsmom, those sunflower seeds are a mess to cleanup and an aweful lot of fiber for a dog.
 

neely

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We had the same problem with squirrels but even more of a nuisance were the raccoons. Do you know if raccoons would be attracted to Golden Sunflower seeds?
 
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susanm9006

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I don’t know about raccoons, never seen them in my property
 

1 bruce 1

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Like a lot of cat owners I have a couple of bird feeders because watching them is enjoyable for both me and Willow. But along with birds comes squirrels. While also entertaining they can be expensive if they steal all the bird seed and last year they actually broke an expensive feeder by jumping off the roof onto it dozens of times. I do feed them corn every day but what they want is the expensive sunflower seeds in the bird feeders.

But several weeks ago my local bird store introduced me to Golden Safflower. It has a thinner shell than white safflower, so little birds like Chickadees will eat it and it turns out all my visiting birds from wrens to Cardinals and even woodpeckers love it. And best of all the squirrels have no interest at all in it. It runs a couple dollars a pound but I go through so much less seed that cost wise it’s about the same. And much less cleanup as well since the husks are so tiny they just blow away. Definitely worth trying!
We don't get squirrels, but I usually feed wild birds in the colder months daily and occasionally in the warmer months (they have a lot of worms and bugs to eat. Let 'em catch their own grub, ha!)
We use a mixture of I don't know what from a feed store that has bird food that attracts all kinds, but one year I fed them daily late and later that summer we were over run with sunflowers from those seeds. Sunflowers are cool (mostly when they get 70 feet high) but enough is enough!
Next time I go to the feed store I'll ask if they have it. I've never heard of it and it sounds like it might attract more birds, which is always nice.
 

maggie101

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I will check that out. Never seen golden safflower. I feed humming birds,cardinals,blue jays, wrens,northern mocking Bird, great crested fly catcher,tuffed titmouse,chipping sparrow,house finch,house sparrow,variety of woodpeckers,purple martin,starlings,dovesgrackles, and red winged black Bird. Even the brown headed cow Bird
 

golondrina

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SORRY I THOUGHT I WAS IN THE "Other Pets" thread.
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When living in France I had up to 9 pigeons living in my balcony where they nested. They all had names and were free to fly away but they always came back for their meals and sleep. They often joined me inside the apartment and liked to eat from my hand. They were my balcony pets.
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Kflowers

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I just throw the bird seed on the deck, no feeders. I mean, we have a deck, that's like buying a scratching post when you have a perfectly good sofa. Still, bird feeders are pretty classy. I'm going to look for the Golden Safflower because a few less fighting squirrels would be a good thing.

We get squirrels who fight with each other, which SG loves, and chipmunks (we call them hoovers for the way they eat).

More often than not some of the seeds remain and sprout into lush grass. For some reason the stuff didn't do so well on the half of the yard the septic guys dug up. (surprise the tank was right where I told them on the other side of the yard.)
 

neely

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We get squirrels who fight with each other, which SG loves, and chipmunks (we call them hoovers for the way they eat).
Good point! :thumbsup: I never thought about squirrels fighting or chipmunks. I wonder if opossum would eat the seed too.
 
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susanm9006

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Good point! :thumbsup: I never thought about squirrels fighting or chipmunks. I wonder if opossum would eat the seed too.
I have an Opossum that wanders past my house regularly. He has a drink and eats any scraps or cat food left out but doesn’t seem interested in the seeds or dried corn I have out.
 

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I've never heard of yellow safflower. The birds don't like the white safflower after I bought several pounds of it. I feed the squirrels peanuts and hope they don't scarf all the sunflower seeds. The cats enjoy watching them, too. I have a hanging feeder that I put millet in that the birds love. The squirrels can't get to it, thank goodness. We mostly get sparrows, but also a pair of cardinals, juncos, and a few chickadees.
 
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susanm9006

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I've never heard of yellow safflower. The birds don't like the white safflower after I bought several pounds of it. I feed the squirrels peanuts and hope they don't scarf all the sunflower seeds. The cats enjoy watching them, too. I have a hanging feeder that I put millet in that the birds love. The squirrels can't get to it, thank goodness. We mostly get sparrows, but also a pair of cardinals, juncos, and a few chickadees.
I think yellow Safflower may be a new type seed. I only heard about it because my local bird store did a big promo on it. It has a softer shell than white safflower so it is easier for little birds like chickadees and goldfinches to break through to the inside. I still provide sunflower and niger see but most of the birds are choosing the yellow safflower.
 

Kflowers

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I don't think the opossums want anything to do with ninja squirrels.

I knew one person who hung feeders for the small birds and scattered handfuls of seed on the ground for the pigeons and squirrels. Not me. I already feed the morning doves. They sound so sad, but they look okay.
 
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