Sunflower Hearts

[Power walker]

Thanks to all for your help on this, I really didn't know what to do.

I have purchased some Nijer seed and will let you all know how I get on.

Power Walker

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Power walker

We feed our birds with sunflowers hearts and wild bird seed. I don't have a problem with the wild bird seed, apart from the very long grass surrounding the bird feeder, but I do have a problem with the sunflower hearts.

Once again, today I have had to dig up the grass, or what was left of it, below the bird feeder. It seems that when the birds drop the seed over a period of time the seed embeds in the grass and then I end up with a fatty mass mound. The fatty mound is rancid, it is the most awful smell you could ever imagine.

Has anyone else had a problem with this, if so, could someone please let me know what I need to do - other than not buy sunflower hearts anymore and lose the Goldfinches.

My lawn looks really awful so I really hope that someone has an answer.

Power Walker

Sunflower hearts are a very useful general bird food, there are number of things that can be done to minimise problems associated with sunflower heart use:

Feeders - tube type rather that mesh type, sees less spillage.

Seed type - kibled seed will not germinate and is less readily discarded by smaller birds.

Top up frequency - in all but the coldest weather, allow feeders to stay empty for at least 24 hours, this encourages ground feeding and greatly reduces waste.

Bird species - provide regular food for ground feeders - blackbird, dunnock etc, these will take sunflower hearts but like other foods to keep them interested.

Feeder location - where possible locate feeders over tillable soil, the soil bacteria tend to outcompete the fermentation process that causes rotten seed to smell, also encourages more dilligent ground feeding on the part of most bird species.

CM

[ediblehedge]

Hi Power walker,
We had this problem and finally put the feeders over a patio area in an apple tree - great foliage coverage and has encouraged the birds to eat the apple pests too. The paving means that the seed mess is captured below and some of the ground feeding birds often eat up the remains below the feeders.
But still, one of our seagulls keeps dragging the ground feeder onto the lawn and after the rain and the countless times the seagull does this, the lawn goes very mushy and black. I scrape the grass and get rid of the gunge and the grass grows back - it seems to always take a while though. I did try using grass seed but that was a nice tasty treat for the doves and pigeons!

I buy a ground feeding seed that has the sunflower hearts because, I might be wrong, but some birds can't get into the black sunflower seeds because of the tough shell. The seed feeder in the tree has black sunflower seeds and these are designed for finches etc who can crack the shells in their beaks and can stand on the perches... I think robins, blackbirds and dunnocks, for example, prefer to feed on the ground and prefer the hearts, fruits etc

Oo yes, the drawback on the paving - I have to scrub them and brush up the discarded bird food etc and this can be a messy job, I sometimes use the arkcleanse disinfectant too and try to make sure there's not too much debris around... joys of bird feeding I guess!

Hope your lawn grows back nicely!

[Power walker]

Thanks very much ediblehedge (love the user name) and I'm really glad it's not only me that has these problems; you sometimes thing of your own and you can get so frustrated when you don't know what to do.

I have purchased Nijer seed now and, so far so good, the Goldfinches love it. I always have wild bird seed as well - I've always had that and the only problem I get with that seed is the grass growing quite quickly; I can put up with that.

I do love the birds but agree, the joys of feeding birds but what joy they give.

Power Walker