White Proso Millet is the small, round, cream-colored seed that makes up a large part of inexpensive bird seed mixes. People who feed wild birds at a "higher level" tend to avoid mixes that contain a lot of millet because many of the birds will just toss it out to get to the sunflower seeds they prefer. I have always known that a little millet in a good mix, like Cole's Blue Ribbon Blend, works well and will be readily eaten. But I also tend to omit it from my feeders and relegate millet to the lowly status of something I throw out on the ground to be picked at by the doves.
Basically, I had forgotten about millet until the other day. During a recent visit to my Buford Bird Watcher store, Mike - one of our great staff members - mentioned putting millet in a tube feeder. Millet? Just millet, nothing else, in a tube feeder? Mike went on to explain that he has "good" feed in other feeders, but offers a few with only millet. Song sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Cardinals, Indigo Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks are just some of the birds he listed that have frequented his millet feeders. Cardinals??? Really, Mike???
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| Dark-eyed Juncos are winter visitors and prolific millet eaters |
I don't believe Mike had been hitting the holiday eggnog when we talked, so I think he was telling the truth. Besides, this is a great excuse to put out another feeder. I'm getting an Aspects Quick-Clean tube feeder and filling it with Cole's White Millet! Merry Christmas, birds! If you try this and it works, please feel free to send me a nice "thank you" email. If not, Mike can be found a few days a week at the Buford store.
I read your post on facebook about this,,, had to laugh and this was my comment back.... :O) I just moved to this house (located in the woods) and I have loved every minute with all the birds!!!! Well, I rent here and when the landlord saw how I spoil the birds, he had to laugh. We have a deck off the family room and out there I have a patio table. I put a table cloth on it and keep it covered in bird seed of a million types!!! and i lay birdseed all along the railing of the deck and I also keep the feeders filled. He laughs at me. Now THATS how you offer millet and other goodies to the birds, hahahahahaha But I did read your article and I understand what you meant about the millet.... its just the words offer a bird anything hit my funny bone! :O) Merry Christmas to all of you!
ReplyDeleteHeidi Johnson ---Picsnglitz on facebook, Photography and Art