While my Publix carries sunflower seeds that are fine, their mixed seeds have way too many of those blasted little round seeds that look like BB's. Nothing under the sun eats those. (I think they might be milo seeds, but I'm not sure). PetSmart has the best seed mixes in this area. They have several types that are no-waste mixes (no hulls, etc), and I like those a lot. I'm especially fond of the Stokes brand. I almost never get a buggy or otherwise bad bag of seed from my Pet-Smart, though I'm sure there are differences from store to store. Good luck! Marcia

There is no surefire way to keep birdseed from sprouting. Some people sterilize bird seed by heating it on a cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes, but that is a lot of work to do on a consistent basis. Some people rake up the spilled seed once or twice a week with a Shop Vac. You can buy the sunflower chips (shelled, broken sunflower seeds) and they won't sprout because they have been "damaged" by being broken. They are more expensive than mixed birdseed, but there is no waste. You can rake the area under the feeder once or twice a week to break up the sprouts before they are well rooted. Sometimes ground-feeding birds eat the seed spilled onto the ground before it sprouts--it just depends on how many ground-feeding birds you have hanging around your yard. At our house, birdseed and hen scratch don't get a chance to sprout because the doves (and cottontail rabbits) eat it all. There are many plants you can incorporate into your plantings to attract birds. Many of them will attract butterflies and hummingbirds as well. TREES: Trees like oaks, cedars, elms and hackberrie provide food, cover and nesting sites for birds. NATIVE PLANTS are the ones that most attract birds since these are plants they already use as a food source. These include trees, shrubs and vines like junipers, yaupon hollies, possumhaw hollies, viburnums, Mexican plums, rough-leaf dogwood, elderberries, sumac, Virginia creeper vine and red mulberry. Pretty much any tree or shrub that produces berries or other small fruit (like crabapples or persimmons) will attract birds. Blackberry and dewberry brambles attract birds, as do fruit-bearing trees like cherries, peaches and plums. To Attract Hummingbirds: You can attract hummingbirds using hummingbird feeders, but you have to change the nectar about once every three days to keep it from fermenting and harming the birds. They also are attracted to plants. Here's some you can plant that they like: Red-flowered yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) American Cross-vine (Bignonia capreolata) Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Red-flowered Morning Glory (Ipomoea sp.)(annual) Cypress Vube (Ipomoea quamoclit) (annual) Purple Horsemint (Monarda citriodora) Wild Bergamont (Monarda fistulosa) Spotted Beebalm (Mondarda punctuata) Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinia) (usually annual, may reseed)(aka Texas Hummingbird Sage) Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) Heart-leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus cardiophyllus) Scarlet Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus) Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) Drummmon's Phlox (Phlox drummondii) Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) (spring wildflower) Lantana (Lantana horrida) Many birds are attracted to composite flowers that provide seeds, including sunflowers, zinnias, Mexican sunflower, purple coneflowers, safflowers, etc. After they bloom, you don't deadhead them if they were planted for the birds. You leave the flowers on the plants so the birds can "harvest" the seeds as they dry. Don't forget to provide some kind of water source for the birds--a birdbath, a mister, a dripper, etc. Different kinds of birdseed attract different birds. To attract goldfinches in the winter months, put out a goldfinch feeder filled with thistle seed. Sometimes you can attract orioles by putting out oranges, orange-flavored nectar or grape jelly. Dawn

Just hadda share about hawks. Came to this forum to ask a bird question but this post subject intrigued me so I hadda check it out. I've had a hawk in my area for several years now, but only seen him in flight or sitting up on top of a dead tree a block away. But what happend the other day was new to me. There's a small tree across the street that all my sparrows fly to after they feed at my front yard feeders. I was out in my garden and guess I got 'lucky.' All of a sudden, I saw a big bird go flying into that tree !! At first I thought it was a pigeon since I have to deal with them, as well. But it turned out to be that hawk !! I say I got lucky, because I feel as others have said, it's nature and I've never seen a hawk THAT close to the ground!! Anyway, birds scattered, flying out of the tree all at once, making a big ruckus. Then out flew few stragglers, then even a few more after that. Seeing some of them taking so long, I was sure he'd snagged one. I took a chance and walked s-l-o-w-l-y across the street to see if he was feasting on one (not to sound morbid, but once again...it's nature). I wasn't even sure he was still in the tree but as I got about three feet away, out he flew and then just stopped and landed on a fence post, only several feet away from me. He even looked over at me as if to say, "HA HA, you can't catch me, but I'll let you SEE me." He was close enough that for the first time in my life, I could see his markings, his eyes, his magnificance. I took a another step closer and of course, he flew away...towards my house, across the neighbor's roof and then off, off and away. But it was a wonderful experience for me. I was so taken aback that I called my mom and said I wish I had a zoom camera ALWAYS hanging around my neck. My camera phone just wouldn't have done justice. I'm glad he didn't get any of my 'babies' and don't wish death on any animal, but it's survival of the fittest. It's the balance of nature. Of course -- I need to state that I DID NOT read every post in this forum so I may be expressing something that is in total opposition to another post or even the topic at hand. If so, I apologize..... But I just HADDA share. It was soooo cool. bonnie aka brit5467

Yes, I feed the birds...including those that eat on the ground, like pigeons and doves, and possums, squirrels, raccoons, and a wild pig. :)) I buy black oil sunflower seeds, but most of my other food is donated, and I feed the donated food to my dogs and cats, so it isn't much for me to buy the sunflower seeds, when I consider what it would cost to feed 2 dogs and 20+ cats. I had 25 of the Hurricane Ike orphan squirrels here but the rehabbers donated 10 lb. of pecan halves and 10 lb. of walnut halves...premium, food grade stuff...for them. I also have horses, and their feed has gone down a dollar over the past 6 weeks. Still not back to the original price, but I was surprised that anything came down. If you think feeding birds is expensive, I have 4 horses and it costs me $420 a month to feed them during the winter. It is $180 for their feed, and $240 a month for hay, but fortunately, I only have to buy hay a couple more months...have enough pasture for warm weather. But, even tho I could get by feeding them cheaper, they are old and I feel like they need a good quality grain and hay...so that's what they get. If I didn't receive the donated food, which I get thousands of pounds of per month....there is no way I could feed all the animals here, but we have some good sponsors who donate to us every week, including 4 animal shelters, Houston Food Bank, and the wildlife center. A Walmart gives us all of their ripped bags. I got a lot of thistle seed a few months ago from the Food Bank, and have been waiting for the gold finches, which are just now showing up here.