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the search for BIG sunflower seeds

17 years ago

Black oil sunflower seeds have not only doubled in price, they are pitifully small. (Apparently, the market for ethanol displaced all grain prices.) This has made feeding the birds something of a wildlife circus.

Our squirrel-proof feeder is mobbed by sparrows, and this discourages our lovely songbirds. It's not that I begrudge the sparrows, but they spill twenty seeds for every one they eat. This is great for the chipmunks, who are charming, admittedly, but who needs an entire colony? Then there are the red and gray squirrels, and the flock of pigeons. They go through 50 lbs. a week and most of it is on the ground.

We endure this for our cardinals, rose-breasted grosbeaks, woodpeckers, etc. etc. When we had the larger sunflower seeds, the seeds were too big for the sparrows. Life was a lot less complicated and expensive.

I've searched and searched for bigger seeds without success.

Has anyone else noticed had similar problems? Do you know a good source for the really BIG seeds?

Many thanks.

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Comments (3)

rachel_frome_ky
17 years ago
You may want to take down your feeders until the riff-raff have dispersed. Feeding animals any time can quickly unbalance nature, causing nuisance and aggressive native song-bird predators to quickly proliferate and take over the neighborhood until nobody can enjoy the birds in peace. House Sparrows, Starlings, Grackles, chipmunks, squirrels, etc. waste food, prey on song bird eggs and nestlings and if you feed them they are breeding and multiplying on your coin.

Pigeons are very prolific, make a mess, and waste expensive bird food although they were originally domesticated and brought here by settlers to use for food, so love to nest on human structures and be around people. Yet feeding nuisance animals makes everyone suffer-especially native song birds.

Maybe after you've had the feeders down for a few weeks and the unwanted critters have left, you could try tube thistle feeders since House Sparrows usually don't like it. Avoid tray feeders, cracked corn, bread crumbs, cheap bird seed, and take down the tube feeders the moment you see unwanted critters arriving or, like rats and cockroaches, they will quickly multiply at your expense.
chinamigarden
17 years ago
Have you tried Striped sunflower seeds. They are quite a bit bigger then the BOSS. Your local bird store will either have them in stock, or can order some in for you.
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aleksandras
17 years ago
Russian Black oil sunflower seeds are big--probably twice as big as regular BOSS for birdfeeding. I'm looking for this kind for myself--not for birds, but to fry and eat it myself. So far I have only been able to find it in Russian stores and it is kind of expensive. I'm wondering about "Peredovik" sort--it is Russian, but I'm not sure if they keep the same kind in US. Has anybody ever used it?

Here is a link that might be useful: Black Sunflower (Peredovik)

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