Just picked up another 50 lb bag of nutrasaff. I have been using it for years. The gold finches and chickadees love it. I put it out almost exclusively in my tray feeders.
Chip monks found it and love it. So now I going to have to baffle the saffron feeders. My yard will be full of poles with stove pipe baffles. on them . I need to paint them so they there not so shinny. lol.
I had tons of grackles this spring and they ate me out of house and home and run off all my other birds. After watching this video I bought a silow feeder and put safflower only in it and solved my grackle issue. They could not stand on the feeder and eat . I do get some morning doves that can get a little of it but not much because they can't stay on it because of their size. So my house finches and cardinals are on it pretty much all the time. I bought another silo feeder for my mixed seed and the finches and some house sparrows and doves eat off it but no crackles. Amen! No way I could afford to feed all those grackles and they scared off the birds I wanted. They do feed off the ground a bit which is fine just not 100 at a time like before. Thank you for these awesome informative videos.
Just bought a small bag today as I get too many grackles & squirrels in my yard eating all the food and making such a mess! If it goes well I’ll order a big bag online. Thanks so much for all your videos! I’ve loved watching the birds my whole life and really want to do more at my place in town now. I’ve been binging all your videos the last few days since I happened upon your channel. Thanks for all the info! I appreciate you very much!
My chickadees love it the most there on it all day long. I think what they like the most is there isn't a lot of competition for it. Whereas the main feeder they get run off alot. The cardinals , titmouses, finches, sparrows, and other birds don't have a problem fighting for a spot on the main feeder.
I heard that cardinals like it so I started mixing 5# in 20# of the mix I buy. I thought the birds were just kicking it out of the feeder but on closer inspection of the seed all over the ground it was just the empty shell!
Thank you so much for your video I really appreciated it yes I got to get some for my Cardinals in my little chickadees in my little French birds thank you so much for explaining what birds love it that’s my bird thank you🥰😁💕
Hi there. I’m a viewer in central Ohio. I really got into bird feeding during the early part of the pandemic. In January and February of 2021 I turned to safflower to deter Starlings but could get my house finches and cardinals, titmice and chickadees interested. I went with caged feeders for a while as a workaround. Then over the summer, I tried the safflower again, and it really caught on. I can’t explain why, but now it is a staple in my yard. I have 2 cylinders of it going and they seem to like the Nutrasaff equally. I also offer a blend of black oil, stripe, & safflower on the ground. And all of that gets consumed.
I’m new to this bird feeding journey and can’t tell you how much I appreciate your videos and wealth of knowledge. I had a great mixture of birds like golden finches, house finches, morning dove, blue jays, blue birds, indigo bunting, wood thrush and a few different woodpecker species and I know I’m missing a bunch, I just recently put safflower seeds along with the black sunflower seeds in 3 of my 7 feeders. I’m missing a ton of birds since adding that but I have 5 acres of wooded wetlands at the back of my property and I’m not hearing any of the birds in the morning like usual. I also had a Tanager Scarlet in one of the bird baths a few times, I’m in Delaware and when I looked it up I learned they’re on our endangered species list. Have these safflower seeds really sent my birds packing or is it just the time of year for them to move on? It’s the beginning of august so I’d think we’d have some more time with these gorgeous babies that I’ve become very attached to. My hummer’s are still very much around, very active, mouthy and showing up in larger numbers. It’s my seed birds that are missing and very quiet in those woods compared to usual in the morning and throughout the day. 😢
It sounds like their disappearance started at the beginning of the nesting season which is typical. Some species migrate north while resident birds have to spread out to set up nesting territories. Their diet also switches to mostly insects in spring and summer and they are far less dependent on seeds. Some species like goldfinches can not open safflower so you do want to offer up seed like fine sunflower kernels or Nyjer® for them. Many bird feeding folks switch to safflower during the "blackbird" season (spring and summer) to discourage them, but I can't imagine it "running off" any birds. It is also important to not leave any seed in a feeder longer than a month, so you may try cleaning out all of your feeders and only fill them about a quarter full until activity picks back up. Typically, September and October are the slowest months at seed feeder because so much natural food becomes available like wild sunflowers, etc. For us in the Kansas City area, true activity doesn't pick back up until early November most years. Hope this helps.
I tried this seed and might of had wrong feeder as most of seed ended up on ground and started sprouting like weeds!!! What is a good feeder to prevent seed from getting spread all over ground? Love your show. Thanks for all the great information.
Thank you for tuning in! Because of the birds that do not like Safflower (grackle and starlings, etc) there is a lot of tossing at first and if it is in a seed mixture. I find that feeding safflower by itself with a catch trays on a tube feeder help or a hanging tray feeder with higher sides works best. Unfortunately, it does have a high germination rate. That is one reason I like mourning dove to "vacuum" up the excess.
When I first starting feeding [only safflower seed] in a tray feeder I had house finches and house sparrows. After a period of time I noticed a lack HS coming which I love. I had also tried putting sunflower hearts in upside down feeder but gold finches wouldnt touch it, but when I dumped the hearts in a tray even a few goldfinches started eating it in the tray. I guess too big for port holes. I had even ground the hearts down still would not eat it from the tube. So now I have safflower and hearts seed in the tray , as you say will need to separate the two or there will be a problem once the starlings get here in a few weeks or when house sparrows return.
Sometimes birds take to "new" style feeders (like the upside down) and sometime it can take them forever to figure it out. The fine sunflower kernels work well in the small hole finch feeders. shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/products/sunflower-kernels Generally the starlings and house sparrows shy away from the safflower so I would seperate them once they show up.
I gave safflower a real go but just didn't get good results.I have been feeding birds for more decades than I care to think about and have to chalk it up to the high amount of oil and sunflower I provide in other feeders. So for the situation I have it just was not needed.
The key is often the amount of food you provide via feeders and landscaping. Water is critical as well. Here is a link to a video I did a while back on hummingbirds that may help: ua-cam.com/video/I93MdWn9pfY/v-deo.html
Hey Mark. What’s your take on hot pepper bird seeds? I’m at the point where I’m considering it to help keep rats and squirrels away. Everything else I’ve tried doesn’t seem very efficient.. thanks.
It is very much worth a try. It doesn't bother birds for several reasons and we have had great success with squirrels and even raccoons. There are always exceptions but the reports from customers have been very favorable now for the three years or so we have stocked it.
Is this seed big or just medium sized? I'm not sure if it's the white seed that my love bird really like that come with the mixed seeds that I feed it. I would like to know so I could just feed it purely with it.
First, bluebirds do not eat safflower. They are not equipped to crack open a seed hull so for those birds it is hull-less sunflower and peanut pieces. Birds that do like safflower are: Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, and House Finches love it. Chickadees, titmice and nuthatches like it. One winter I had a female Red-bellied Woodpecker who ate it all the time.
They do not. Mockingbirds are fruit and insect eaters for the most part. Their bills are not good for cracking open seeds. A good peanut butter mixture has been successful for me in the past. ua-cam.com/video/Ygvuxuh6rng/v-deo.html
@@MarksBackyardBirds thank you so much. I’ve been having a problem with a mockingbird and I’ve been trying to find what seed I could feed that they won’t like.
Just picked up another 50 lb bag of nutrasaff. I have been using it for years. The gold finches and chickadees love it. I put it out almost exclusively in my tray feeders.
It is a wonderful seed!
Chip monks found it and love it. So now I going to have to baffle the saffron feeders. My yard will be full of poles with stove pipe baffles. on them . I need to paint them so they there not so shinny. lol.
@@lloydbrannan1002 They love to stuff their cheeks full of safflower
You are natural teacher. I just started to feed birds and I live in the city so the challenges are different. I’m learning a lot.
Thanks you. Glad I can help!
I had tons of grackles this spring and they ate me out of house and home and run off all my other birds. After watching this video I bought a silow feeder and put safflower only in it and solved my grackle issue. They could not stand on the feeder and eat . I do get some morning doves that can get a little of it but not much because they can't stay on it because of their size. So my house finches and cardinals are on it pretty much all the time. I bought another silo feeder for my mixed seed and the finches and some house sparrows and doves eat off it but no crackles. Amen! No way I could afford to feed all those grackles and they scared off the birds I wanted. They do feed off the ground a bit which is fine just not 100 at a time like before. Thank you for these awesome informative videos.
That is excellent news.
Just bought a small bag today as I get too many grackles & squirrels in my yard eating all the food and making such a mess! If it goes well I’ll order a big bag online.
Thanks so much for all your videos! I’ve loved watching the birds my whole life and really want to do more at my place in town now.
I’ve been binging all your videos the last few days since I happened upon your channel. Thanks for all the info! I appreciate you very much!
My chickadees love it the most there on it all day long. I think what they like the most is there isn't a lot of competition for it. Whereas the main feeder they get run off alot. The cardinals , titmouses, finches, sparrows, and other birds don't have a problem fighting for a spot on the main feeder.
Chickadees prefer a snatch and fly routine. That way they can crack it open holding it between their feet on a limb.
I heard that cardinals like it so I started mixing 5# in 20# of the mix I buy. I thought the birds were just kicking it out of the feeder but on closer inspection of the seed all over the ground it was just the empty shell!
My cardinals love it.
Thank you so much for your video I really appreciated it yes I got to get some for my Cardinals in my little chickadees in my little French birds thank you so much for explaining what birds love it that’s my bird thank you🥰😁💕
You are so welcome. Thanks for tuning in!
My birds love it!!. Squirrel hate it..yup
I have canaries and i just give them some Safflower now they fighting each other over it
It is a great seed.
we dont even have safflower to buy in Serbia
Hi there. I’m a viewer in central Ohio. I really got into bird feeding during the early part of the pandemic. In January and February of 2021 I turned to safflower to deter Starlings but could get my house finches and cardinals, titmice and chickadees interested. I went with caged feeders for a while as a workaround. Then over the summer, I tried the safflower again, and it really caught on. I can’t explain why, but now it is a staple in my yard. I have 2 cylinders of it going and they seem to like the Nutrasaff equally. I also offer a blend of black oil, stripe, & safflower on the ground. And all of that gets consumed.
That is great to hear. I wish I could explain why some seed works for some and not for others but I think you were wise to give it a second chance.
I’m new to this bird feeding journey and can’t tell you how much I appreciate your videos and wealth of knowledge. I had a great mixture of birds like golden finches, house finches, morning dove, blue jays, blue birds, indigo bunting, wood thrush and a few different woodpecker species and I know I’m missing a bunch, I just recently put safflower seeds along with the black sunflower seeds in 3 of my 7 feeders. I’m missing a ton of birds since adding that but I have 5 acres of wooded wetlands at the back of my property and I’m not hearing any of the birds in the morning like usual. I also had a Tanager Scarlet in one of the bird baths a few times, I’m in Delaware and when I looked it up I learned they’re on our endangered species list. Have these safflower seeds really sent my birds packing or is it just the time of year for them to move on? It’s the beginning of august so I’d think we’d have some more time with these gorgeous babies that I’ve become very attached to. My hummer’s are still very much around, very active, mouthy and showing up in larger numbers. It’s my seed birds that are missing and very quiet in those woods compared to usual in the morning and throughout the day. 😢
It sounds like their disappearance started at the beginning of the nesting season which is typical. Some species migrate north while resident birds have to spread out to set up nesting territories. Their diet also switches to mostly insects in spring and summer and they are far less dependent on seeds. Some species like goldfinches can not open safflower so you do want to offer up seed like fine sunflower kernels or Nyjer® for them. Many bird feeding folks switch to safflower during the "blackbird" season (spring and summer) to discourage them, but I can't imagine it "running off" any birds. It is also important to not leave any seed in a feeder longer than a month, so you may try cleaning out all of your feeders and only fill them about a quarter full until activity picks back up. Typically, September and October are the slowest months at seed feeder because so much natural food becomes available like wild sunflowers, etc. For us in the Kansas City area, true activity doesn't pick back up until early November most years. Hope this helps.
I tried this seed and might of had wrong feeder as most of seed ended up on ground and started sprouting like weeds!!! What is a good feeder to prevent seed from getting spread all over ground? Love your show. Thanks for all the great information.
Thank you for tuning in! Because of the birds that do not like Safflower (grackle and starlings, etc) there is a lot of tossing at first and if it is in a seed mixture. I find that feeding safflower by itself with a catch trays on a tube feeder help or a hanging tray feeder with higher sides works best. Unfortunately, it does have a high germination rate. That is one reason I like mourning dove to "vacuum" up the excess.
My dove love safflower seed.
It is their favorite at my feeders too
When I first starting feeding [only safflower seed] in a tray feeder I had house finches and house sparrows. After a period of time I noticed a lack HS coming which I love. I had also tried putting sunflower hearts in upside down feeder but gold finches wouldnt touch it, but when I dumped the hearts in a tray even a few goldfinches started eating it in the tray. I guess too big for port holes. I had even ground the hearts down still would not eat it from the tube. So now I have safflower and hearts seed in the tray , as you say will need to separate the two or there will be a problem once the starlings get here in a few weeks or when house sparrows return.
Sometimes birds take to "new" style feeders (like the upside down) and sometime it can take them forever to figure it out. The fine sunflower kernels work well in the small hole finch feeders. shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/products/sunflower-kernels Generally the starlings and house sparrows shy away from the safflower so I would seperate them once they show up.
I gave safflower a real go but just didn't get good results.I have been feeding birds for more decades than I care to think about and have to chalk it up to the high amount of oil and sunflower I provide in other feeders. So for the situation I have it just was not needed.
I had disinterested safflower customers as well. I'm one and done on that.
Hi I’m in Plano Texas, do you have any advice in attracting hummingbird? I have one that has come my feeder but not consistent.
The key is often the amount of food you provide via feeders and landscaping. Water is critical as well. Here is a link to a video I did a while back on hummingbirds that may help: ua-cam.com/video/I93MdWn9pfY/v-deo.html
answered my questions
Good deal
Hey Mark. What’s your take on hot pepper bird seeds? I’m at the point where I’m considering it to help keep rats and squirrels away. Everything else I’ve tried doesn’t seem very efficient.. thanks.
It is very much worth a try. It doesn't bother birds for several reasons and we have had great success with squirrels and even raccoons. There are always exceptions but the reports from customers have been very favorable now for the three years or so we have stocked it.
@@MarksBackyardBirds Thanks much Mark. Will definitely try it out this weekend
Good luck
Is this seed big or just medium sized? I'm not sure if it's the white seed that my love bird really like that come with the mixed seeds that I feed it. I would like to know so I could just feed it purely with it.
Safflower is small to medium size. Larger than millet, slightly small than black oil sunflower
I have a fully tamed cockatiel, can i mix safflower seeds in her seed feed?
I am not an expert in the pet bird world but would think it would be fine.
@@MarksBackyardBirds thankyou sir🤝
We feed safflower seed because Blye Jays don't eat it.
Blue Jays and goldfinches are two birds I have never seen eat safflower.
Can you give me a list of birds that like safflower seed so I know
First, bluebirds do not eat safflower. They are not equipped to crack open a seed hull so for those birds it is hull-less sunflower and peanut pieces. Birds that do like safflower are: Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, and House Finches love it. Chickadees, titmice and nuthatches like it. One winter I had a female Red-bellied Woodpecker who ate it all the time.
Does bluejays like safflower seed
Blue Jays are one of the few birds that truly do not like Safflower.
Does mockingbirds like safflower seed
They do not. Mockingbirds are fruit and insect eaters for the most part. Their bills are not good for cracking open seeds. A good peanut butter mixture has been successful for me in the past. ua-cam.com/video/Ygvuxuh6rng/v-deo.html
@@MarksBackyardBirds thank you so much. I’ve been having a problem with a mockingbird and I’ve been trying to find what seed I could feed that they won’t like.