Bird Food
Peanuts
Peanuts or ground nuts are excellent bird food, provided they are not salted. Peanuts for birds are often sold packed in plastic nets. Remove these nets and present peanuts in feeders made of metal net with 4-5 mm mesh (see photo). Peanuts are also often sold in larger quantities in plastic buckets.
Peanuts are fatty, and provide high-energy food which many bird species prefer. Tits, nuthatches, house and tree sparrows usually flock around peanut feeders.
Sunflower seeds
There are many variants of sunflowers, grown for different purposes. Some are grown as human food, others for sunflower oil production. Birds may be selective as to which types they prefer if given the option to choose. Birds may throw 8-10 seeds on the ground before they select one to open. Seeds on the ground may be eaten by other birds.
Sunflower seeds are often selected by birds which store food in autumn. Nuthatches cache sunflower seeds in bark crevices for the next upcoming breeding season. Bird feeders with sunflower seeds may thus be quickly emptied during autumn.
Coconut
Coconuts have a white fatty layer which many birds will eat. Cut a nut in two halves using a saw, and drill a hole for thread or wire to suspend the nut halves from branches. Birds will perch on the nut to chip away small pieces of coconut fat. The birds are not able to carry the food into thickets and brushes for secluded eating, which enables better views of birds visiting your feeder station.
Tits and woodpeckers are often attracted to coconuts, which leaves little debris to fall to the ground. Coconuts are thus very suitable for people who wish to avoid leftover food or seed shell debris on the ground.
Suet balls
Suet balls are made up of fat mixed with different kinds of seeds and grain. The quality of suet balls varies according to price and producers, depending on their content. If you make your own suet balls, you can control the quality yourself and ensure that birds will visit your feeder. Food fat/lard can be melted and mixed with peanuts, sunflower seeds, oat grains, raisins etc. Leave the mixture to harden in plastic or paper cups in your fridge.
Suet balls are sold in large quantities in plastic buckets, but sometimes in separate plastic nets. Suet balls must NOT be presented in such plastic nets. Remove the nets and place the suet balls in metal net tubes made for them (see photo).
Thin-billed birds which are insect specialists are not able to open sunflower seeds, but may sometimes visit suet balls to pick small pieces of fat from them. Robins and long-tailed tits are some typical suet feeders.
