Last week, my oldest daughter asked me for a Christmas list because, in her words, “You are so hard to buy for.” I have to admit that I can see her point; there really isn’t much in the way of “stuff” that I either need or want. There is one thing however, that always tops my list – high quality bird seed to fill the feeders that are scattered throughout my yard.
During the pandemic years, bird feeding became a hugely popular activity here in North America. Today, in the United States, over 57 million people routinely feed birds, spending more than 12 billion dollars annually on wild bird related products. At least 5 billion of those dollars purchase various forms of wild bird food, while 960 million is spent on bird feeders, bird baths and nesting boxes. Many experts feel that feeding birds is a “recession-proof industry.”
Depending on the blend, the quality and the brand, the cost of a 5 pound sack of bird seed can range from just under $5 to almost $20. For years, being the frugal sort, I bought the least expensive seed I could find, not realizing that the cheaper bags were actually costing me more than I realized. Inexpensive bags of bird seed usually have an overabundance of sorghum seeds. 
The round, reddish-brown sorghum seeds are typically thrown to the ground by birds searching for more palatable, healthier seed choices. Even ground feeders tend to ignore sorghum for leftover pieces of sunflower, safflower or millet seeds.
Becoming frustrated by the amount of brown seed that continually covered my flower beds, lawn areas, sidewalks and patios, I began paying more attention to seed blends. As the blends I used changed, so did the birds that visited my feeders. I began seeing fewer house sparrows, starlings or pigeons. Instead, I was thrilled to see there were more cardinals, finches and chickadees (to name just a few) to watch.
If you want to bring a variety of birds to your feeders this winter, then using the right varieties of seeds is a great first step. To help you decide which seeds your feed should contain, we’ve put together a printable powerpoint that describes not only eight of the most popular food choices, but also which birds they attract.
We here at Embassy hope that you have a wonderful holiday season. Join us again on January 8th for the beginning of our 2025 blog series.
Click here to view the powerpoint.
