I put them on my deck just outside my door and the birds love them. Even the Acorn Woodpecker drops by and I've never seen one standing anywhere else - they're always on a vertical surface.

{{!gwi}}

"I just filled two of my large feeders with whole sunflower seed hearts and my birds are not eating them. Is it because the seeds are too big?"

You could always try tossing a handful or two into a blender and see if they like smaller bits.

my birds love the sunflower seeds both the striped variety and the boss. i have a old camping pan i set close to the window and put the sunflowers hearts in it and can stand there and watch the birds just outside the glass eating closeup. especially the chickadees and finches and siskins and tits and in the spring the lewis's woodpekers are here and they do too.
I had trouble this winter with some pesky starlings raiding the feeders so took a couple old nyger or thistle socks and chopped the sunflower hearts with a food chopper and hung the bag and the starlings don't get them.

That IS odd kris because sunflower hearts are a HUGE favorite at my house. Try chopping them up a bit as suggested. I bet they will be eaten.
Bob, that is an AWESOME photo!! I would adore seeing one of those Woodpeckers. I researched them once, and their habits are so interesting.~~Angie

That's odd...goldfinches love to pick the seeds out of a sunflower and not only are those whole but they're in the shell too!

One day I sat on our patio and snapped pix for a couple hours of goldfinches eating seeds from the ripe heads of a couple of volunteer sunflowers I had left for the birds.

Great pictures ginni. Very clear. Yes, the Goldfinches like them, in or out of the shell.

{{!gwi}}

Thanks Angie. I do get some good shots from that spot even though they are taken through a double pane glass sliding door. Here's another of my favorites. The Oregon Junco looks like it may have eaten a few too many of the seeds.

{{!gwi}}

Thanks to all who have posted a response to my dilemma. I spoke to someone at Wild Birds Unlimited and he said to wait a few days to see if they start eating it. He also said the birds know if the seed doesn't taste right. I am going to contact the online store where I bought it. Thanks

Nice shots of the Goldfinch ginni!! I also leave my volunteer sunflowers to grow.
Bob, I love your Goldfinch grouping, and that Junco pic is tooo much! It sure is plump looking!!!

i planted both boss and striped sunflowers last year and figured to save some heads to use later but the birds ate them all as soon as they started ripening.

Well, the seed was fine after all. I guess they just discovered it--I had goldfinches at the feeders all day today!

dklucius....it's odd, but none of my yard birds seem to like the striped Sunflower seed. It is always the thing that is left behind. Consequently, I tend to avoid seed mixes that have a lot of it.~~Angie

i read somewhere that some of the little birds have trouble shelling the striped sunflower seeds but i have chickadees that grab one and land on a branch above the feeder and hold the seed between their feet and a couple quick pecks and split it open. a lot of my striped ones get carried off by the jays and magpies, I don't get the grosbeaks till may but they eat a lot of them.