Attract American goldfinches, pine siskins, dark-eyed juncos, and chickadees with nyjer, a small black seed that is commonly referred to as thistle. Nyjer seeds originate from the African daisy. They include a healthy balance of protein, fat, and fiber, making them an excellent source of calories for winter birds.
- Bonus! Aggressive birds such as grackles, starlings, and blackbirds tend to avoid nyjer seed.
- Ensure that the seed remains dry, and replace it every few weeks.
- Serve nyjer seed in a tube or mesh feeder positioned apart from other feeders so that smaller species, like as blue jays, can feast without interference.
Here are some tips for selecting a nyjer feeder for finches. Now that you’ve selected the birdseed, you must select the proper bird feeder! Courtesy Rosemarie Pace On a tray feeder is a purple finch.
Birds consume the entire thistle seed?
Birds consume the entire thistle seed? – Birds, including chickadees, do not consume the entire thistle seed, but rather only the meat component contained within the seed’s hard shell. Chickadees, for instance, frequently grasp thistle seeds between their feet and use their beaks to shell and reveal the seed’s fruit.
Yesterday, I captured this shot of a black-capped chickadee struggling to shell a single grain of nyjer seed while holding it between its feet. (Chickadees use their feet to grip nyjer seeds as they tear off the seed’s tough outer shell.) Goldfinches and house finches, on the other hand, shell the seed by cracking the outer shell with their beaks and dropping it to the ground while still consuming the seed’s flesh.
If you look under a thistle seed feeder, it may appear that much is wasted, although the majority of what you see are empty shells. 
First, we must acknowledge that not all birds consume THISTLE or NYJER seed. This speciality seed is favored by Goldfinches, Finches, and Pine Siskins mostly. Thistle or Nyjer seed tends to deteriorate more rapidly than sunflower seed when exposed to moisture or high temperatures.
If the seed in your feeder becomes blocked, it will get moldy. Occasionally, you may just shake the feeder to remove the cloggs. Here are some helpful suggestions and methods for attracting birds to your thistle feeder: Ensure that your thistle feeder is spotless and filled with new seed. If it has been inactive for a long, pull it down, clean it, and refill it with fresh seed.
Don’t fill it up completely at first; instead, use a little amount of fresh seed and gradually add more as bird activity increases. The Thistle feeder should be hung apart from other active feeders. Thistle-eating birds may be repelled by a seed feeder’s flurry of activity.
Do sparrows consume thistle seed?
Seed and Feeders for House Sparrows – Kindness Ginger Stegeman A sparrow chirping on a tray feeder. You need just feed sunflower seed, safflower seed, white proso millet, thistle seeds, or cracked corn to attract more attractive native sparrows. Make sure the seed you chose is on the ground, where sparrows love to eat.
- As standard ground-feeding recommendations, serve only a small amount of seed daily.
- The birds will still discover it, but there will be fewer unwelcome guests (like raccoons).
- Additionally, you will not have to worry about the seed being wet when it rains.
- Place bird seed near cover, such as a brush pile or small plants, while scattering the food on the ground.
Learn about sparrows, such as the white-crowned sparrow, white-throated sparrow, chipping sparrow, and Lincoln’s sparrow. On occasion, it may be possible to attract sparrows to feeders. Large bird feeders with a substantial amount of surface area, such as tray and platform feeders, are effective in simulating open areas.
