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Bird Seed ~~~~~Birds can be flighty, finicky creatures. The seed you feed them can make all the difference in how many you get, and what species. Our seed selections are all carefully bagged to get you the most desirable birds for whatever type of feeder you have, while making sure not to include ‘filler’ seeds that can draw in undesirables like the English House Sparrow and European Starling. ~~~~~We sell all of our mixes by the pound, as well as 20, 25, or 40lb bags, depending on the mix.

View WBC Seed Chart

Fillers
~~~~~What is a filler seed? Something you won’t find in our mixes, that’s for sure! A filler seed is a seed that mass-manufactured mixes like those you find in big box stores often include as they are cheap to produce. These seeds include milo, red millet, cracked corn, wheat, and other ‘mixed grains’. Often, a good indicator of the quality of a mix is whether it is mostly black (sunflower seeds), or mostly yellows and oranges (fillers). Most times, native songbirds will toss aside the filler seeds, and pick out the limited number of sunflowers. The only birds known to prefer seeds like milo and cracked corn are exotic species like the English House Sparrow and European Starling.
~~~~~Bringing English house sparrows to your yard is the last thing you want for your birds. English house sparrows have been known to raid nests, cracking eggs, even killing mother birds sitting on the nest, and take over the nesting site. Highly aggressive, these birds are extremely adept at out-competing native birds. They are one of the factors that can contribute to the decline of bird populations, especially in those like Eastern Bluebirds.

Hopper Mix: Our most popular blend! ~~~~~Hopper mix is by far the best selling blend we carry in the store. It appeals to the widest variety of birds, but especially to cardinals. The Hopper Mix contains something for everyone: black oil sunflower seed, striped sunflower seed, peanut kernels, and sunflower chips/hearts. The traditional sunflower seeds are a favorite for most feeder birds, like chickadees, gold finches, purple finches, cardinals, etc. The striped sunflower is really what makes this the best mix for cardinals, as it is a very hard-shelled seed that the cardinals can easily crack open with their broad, powerful bills. The peanuts are loved by all, especially the woodpeckers, nuthatches, and cardinals. The sunflower hearts are a favorite of smaller birds like chickadees and finches. Of course, this mix contains no fillers, so is less desirable to sparrows than mixes with fillers!

Black Oil Sunflower Seed ~~~~~Sunflower seed might seem pretty simple, but there are several factors that go into its desirability. Many big box stores simply sell field-run sunflower- straight from the plant to your feeder. Our sunflower is a premium seed, as it goes through a couple steps before it reaches your feeder. The first thing that makes our seed a premium mix is that it is filtered for size. This is especially important for feeding in the winter months. Before eating a seed, a bird will pick it up in its bill and weigh it. By doing this, the bird is trying to determine if the seed inside of the shell is going to be worth the energy expenditure it would take to crack it open- birds run on a very tight energy budget when living through cold Minnesota winters. If the bird determines the seed to be too small, they’ll actually toss it aside. This behavior has been observed very frequently in chickadees. Our sunflower is all filtered for size- there are none too small for any of the visitors to your feeder. The second step taken in preparing our sunflower is to filter it for dust and sand it may have picked up in the field. By filling your feeder with screen filtered seed, you are avoiding making your feeders dirty from excess dust- you may have noticed it frequently accumulates in the corners of your feeder. ~~~~~Sunflower seed is the best seed to feed to attract the widest variety of birds, which is why we sell it plain and include it in nearly all of our mixes.

Dr. Geis/Birdwise Blend ~~~~~This mix is very similar to the Hopper Mix, though there are a few exceptions. This blend has fewer striped sunflower seeds, which the cardinals enjoy. However, it has a seed the Hopper Mix doesn’t have- White Proso Millet. Read on for the pros and cons of millet.

Patio Mix ~~~~~Ever have problems with shells piling up beneath your feeders, or with plants sprouting from spilled sunflowers? Filling your feeders with Patio Mix™ can remedy both of those problems! Patio mix™ consists of peanut kernels, sunflower hearts, and millet. None of these seeds will be able to germinate, as the kernels and hearts do not have their shells, and the millet has been sterilized. Without the shells, you’ll also be avoiding that mess. This seed works best in a platform feeder, to cater to the ground feeding birds like mourning doves and native sparrows that enjoy the millet within the mix. The kernels will appeal to a great variety, including cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers, etc. The classic sunflower hearts will draw in everyone else.

Nyger/Thistle Nyger, formerly referred to as thistle seed, is a small, fine seed that appeals to nearly all varieties of finches. This seed’s name was changed so that consumers would not mistake it for a seed that might grow thistles in your lawn, as this seed is from a different plant entirely. Nyger is grown in other countries, and is sterilized before it comes into the United States. A special finch feeder with very small openings is needed to dispense this seed, as the seed is so light it will blow away in the wind in other feeders. This seed will attract goldfinches, purple finches, housefinches, and occasionally chickadees, while being almost completely undesirable to house sparrows, starlings, and most native songbirds. It’s a great seed to feed if you only want finches at your feeders. Be careful of how much you buy, however, as this seed goes stale much more quickly than other seeds.

White Proso Millet ~~~~~Millet can be a bit of a toss-up seed, with nearly equal pros and cons. On the plus side, millet can appeal to some rarer species like Indigo Buntings and less common migratory sparrows (White-throated sparrows, fox sparrows, etc.). It is also a favorite of mourning doves, juncos, and tree sparrows. However, English house sparrows, starlings, and other undesirables will also be drawn to it. If you live in town, it is not recommended that you feed this or any mix containing it, as the undesirables that enjoy it are most commonly found in town. If you live outside of town, this might be worthwhile to try. Millet is best fed on a platform feeder near the ground, as many of the species that like it (i.e. mourning doves, good sparrows, etc) are ground-feeding species and prefer a feeder that best replicates that.

Safflower Seed ~~~~~We usually only recommend safflower seed as a prevention seed for problems with squirrels, grackles, sparrows, and other undesirables. We only sell it by itself, and not in any of our mixes. The reason for this is that the safflower tends to be an acquired taste for native songbirds, and if included in any mixes, all other seeds will be picked out before the birds will touch the safflower. However, this seed is one that undesirables will never develop a taste for. If you chose to feed safflower, it is important that you feed only that- birds will go to other feeders or eat the other seed before the safflower, and never adjust to the taste of it. Once your feeder birds are used to it, it can be a preferred seed of cardinals, house finches, and chickadees.