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Deceber 28 2022
aReporter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Keep birds happy with their favorite seeds
Black oil sunflower seeds, pictured above top, and white proso millet,
also pictured, are the two seeds preferred by bird species that visit
Monroe County backyard feeders (Photos/Terry Johnston)
I f you had to select only two
seeds to attract the most spe
cies of birds to your winter
bird feeders, which would
you select? With so many seeds
to choose from, this might seem
to be an impossible task. Fortu
nately, you do not have to spend
a lot of time and
money trying
to arrive at the
correct answer.
For years, wild
life enthusiasts
have experiment
ed with a plethora
of seeds. While all
of these seeds will
attract birds, only
a handful have
proven to be su
perior to all others. As you might
imagine, what works best depends
on where you live and the species
of birds that inhabit your corner of
the world. The recommendations
that I am going to share with you
are based on what I have learned
work best in my Monroe County
backyard.
Research conducted by the Unit
ed States Fish and Wildlife Service
decades ago found that two seeds
- white proso millet and black oil
sunflower seeds attract the greatest
variety of birds. I have found such
is also the case in my yard. Black
oil sunflower seeds are the favorite
of the greatest variety of birds.
This list includes the names of
around 40 of birds. Many of these
species regularly visit Monroe
County seed feeders. More than
likely you are familiar with most of
them.
Both house and purple finches
eat sunflower seeds. The house
finch has become a permanent
resident locally. The purple finch
is a winter visitor. They were once
seen far more often than they are
nowadays. However, some purple
finches can be seen here each
winter.
Although the American gold
finch in also seen locally through
out the year, they are most often
spotted during the winter when
they form large flocks and
move about searching for
food.
The Carolina chicka
dee, tufted titmouse and
brown-headed nuthatch are
permanent residents that
dine on black oil sunflower
seeds.
In those years when
increased numbers of
red-breasted nuthatches
and pine siskins invade
Georgia, they too flock to
sunflower seeds.
Woodpeckers also dine on
sunflower seeds. In some parts
of the state and country, red-bel
lied, downy, hairy and redheaded
woodpeckers all eat sunflower
seeds. However, the only wood
pecker that feeds on sunflower
seeds in my yard is the red-bellied.
Cardinals relish sunflower seeds.
During the winter months they are
among the first birds to arrive at
my backyard seed diner. They are
also the last bird to leave at the end
of the day. As the light dims, the
bright red plumage of the males
seems to glow.
The list of some of the other
birds that will eat sunflower seeds
includes brown-headed nuthatch
es, common grackles, red-winged
blackbirds, American crows and
blue jays.
Shiny, round white proso seeds
are by far the favorite food of
the chipping sparrow. Chipping
sparrows are permanent residents.
They often go unnoticed in our
yards until winter when they form
flocks than can number 50 or
more. At this time of the year they
are, by far, the most common feed
er bird that I see at my feeders.
However, I have learned that if
I closely scan all of the individual
sparrows feeding in my yard, I am
apt to spot other more uncom
monly seen sparrows, such as the
white-throated, song and fox. The
winter is the only time of the year I
see these feathered gems.
The dark-eyed junco is a winter
resident in Monroe County. For
tunately, for us, they will feed on
millet alongside sparrows.
Other birds that dine on white
millet are mourning doves,
Eurasian collared-doves, eastern
towhee and brown-headed cow-
birds. Surprisingly, cardinals are
also quite fond of white millet.
All told, these two seeds will
attract more birds than any other
seeds you can offer to the 25-plus
species of birds that regularly visit
seed feeders in the Peach State.
These seeds can be mixed togeth
er or fed separately. I personally
prefer to offer them to the birds
in separate feeders. Also, I have
found that many of the birds that
eat white millet prefer to do so on
the ground. Consequently, I scatter
white millet around the base of
my feeders and alongside nearby
shrubs; that seems to increase the
number of birds that use it.
I should mention that black oil
sunflower seeds can be found in
any outlet that sells birdseed. How
ever, very few stores sell white mil
let. However, it is sold in 50-pound
bags at Forsyth Feed and Seed and
The Bird Store on Zebulon Road
in Macon.
If you do not want to store that
much seed, your only alternative
is to purchase a premium blend
of wild birdseed that contains
high percentages of both black oil
sunflower and white millet seeds.
Such blends are also difficult to
find. Most mixed seed blends
contain large amounts of grains
such as wheat, sorghum and other
seeds. Since they are not preferred
by our feeder birds they often end
up rotting on the ground below
our feeders.
I personally prefer to store my
seed in large metal trashcans. You
will have to decide what works best
for you.
Terry Johnson is retired Pro
gram Manager of the Georgia
Nongame-Endangered Wildlife
Program. He has written the infor
mative column Monroe Outdoors
for the Reporter for many years.
His book, “A Journey to Discovery,”
is available at The Reporter. Email
him at tjwoodduck@bellsouth.net.
m
TERRY W. JOHNSON
Vicki Smith & Bella release their third childrens book
Vicki Smith of Boling-
broke has written and pub
lished her third children's
book called "Two Are
Better Than One." During
the covid lockdown,
therapy dog - meaning
she can go to visit nursing
homes, hospitals, etc.
Vicki began taking Bella
and her newest Papillion,
Emmie, to read to children
cares, library, etc. Everyone
enjoyed it, but Bella seems
to have found her calling.
She loves the children and
is the star of the show.
Vicki, who owns and
operates Properties Plus
Realty with her husband,
Bobby Lee, decided to write
and publish her third book
recently.
“It has been a fun expe
rience and it makes me so
happy to see the big smiles
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Vicki was bored and began
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The first book is "Bella
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published her second book
called "Bella The Butterfly
Dog Gets A Sister." Bella
is a professionally trained
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MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS
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visit them,” said Vicki.
If you would like Vicki
and the “butterfly dogs”
to visit and read to your
class or event, give her a
call at 478-474-7320. Or
if you'd like to purchase
the books for a Christmas
gift, birthday or shower
gift, let her know and she
can have Bella sign one
for you. There are copies
available at The Reporter
office and also on Amazon.
For more information and
to see photos and stories of
Bella and Emmie, go to her
Facebook page: Bella the
Butterfly Dog.
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NEW RELEASE!
No she didn't!
Proceeds from this book
will go toward the
Deputy Michael Norris
Memorial Scholarship.
The "Best"
(i.e. Craziest)
Police Stories
of the Decade
from the
Monroe County
Reporter
‘No she didn't!’
Th. Beit IntlJeet, ,,„ m ^ 20 „