Black Oil Sunflower

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus Bicolor)

Aside from controlling the feral cats that sneak into my yard, the best thing I think I have done to date to help attract more birds to my feeders has been to switch strictly to black oil sunflower seeds in the feeders.

When we used the mixed seed, which always seemed to consist of more cracked corn that ended up on the ground, we would only attract the same old usual birds, house sparrows, European Starlings, an occasional Northern Cardinal, and Mourning doves feeding on the ground.

A couple of Downy Woodpeckers would regularly visit the suet feeders, and an odd Blue Jay would show up to make some noise and chase other birds around.

Since the switch to Black oil sunflower seeds, the most prominent visitors are a family of Tufted Titmouse (pictured above), there are at least 5 individual birds, who have now grown so accustomed to my presence by the feeders that they are not shy at all about landing a foot or two away to snatch a seed, fly up to the tree, eat the seed, and repeat.

One more adventurous of them will nearly land on me, and will fly right in my wife's face!

In addition to the titmouse, there have been some larger species of woodpeckers showing up, and regularly. A Northern Flicker, a Red-Headed, and a Red-Bellied Woodpecker have been regular guests.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinis)

*disclaimer, not the red-bellied that has been visiting

Carolina Wrens have also been visiting, as well as House Finches, Carolina Chickadees, and one fleeting glimpse of what I swear was a tiny little brown creeper, however he was not feeding on the seed, but was paying very close attention to a large piece of driftwood sitting by the small water pond we placed by the feeders.

The cost of feeding exclusively black oil sunflower seeds is more, and the mess from all the hulls and the sprouting seeds can be a pain. But it is well worth it for the wider variety of birds that it attracts, and keeps coming back!

We have three main feeders, two on posts, and one hanging on the front of the house, they are all placed where the birds have easy access to cover (butterfly bushes), water (the little pond), and a good clear view of where the previously mentioned feral cats tend to go.

As a side note, unfortunately, feeding feral cats will not diminish their "need" to hunt, it is a natural instinct despite how well they are feed to hunt. After all they are an apex predator, just a smaller version!