Harvest has started...finally.

Harvest has started and what a late harvest it is this year. Our sunflower is now blooming beautifully, well behind last year's blooms that were finished and dried down by this time of year. Everyone in southern Alberta is behind this year for harvest so what does that mean for the everyday bird feeder.....
Well, the crops are at risk of frost and if we do get an early frost then that will affect the quality and quantity of seed out there for bird seed. So we farmers are hoping and praying for warm fall days so we can get the crop in the bin in good shape.

How to keep your bird seed fresh.

We often get questions from people about storing bird seed. What is it's shelf life and how do you store bird seed to keep it fresh? First of all we recommend that you try to use up all your birdseed within 3 months to keep your seed fresh. However, if you are going to store your seed for longer then here are some important seed storage tips:

1. Storage container: For longer storage, a bag just won't suffice for storage of bird seed. Most bags have small pin prick holes in them to let air out or perhaps are loosely woven. This means that insects could potentially get inside the bag. Storing seed in a plastic or metal storage container with an airtight lid is an ideal solution.

2. Temperature: It is always a good idea to store seed in cold temperatures, in fact, most homes are too warm to store seed for a long period of time. It is better to store seed in your cool garage or a cool outdoor garden shed. In warm summer months it is best to move the seed to your freezer if you have room there. The cold will not hurt the seed's quality and it will ensure that the seed does not get overheated thereby leading to possible spoilage.

3. Quality check: If your seed has been stored for a while, ensure that there are no signs of insect cobwebs or insects in the seed, you should see no discoloration on the seeds related to spoilage and you should smell the seed to ensure it smells fresh and not "off".

4. Buy fresh looking seed: If the seed looks dusty or you see discolouration in the seed inside or any sort of cobwebs, do not buy the seed. If the bag looks weary and worn then perhaps that bag has been on the shelf too long. Look for a best before date on your seed or check for a manufacturing date code to help you determine the age of the seed.

Seed can be stored for a long time, but it must be stored properly to ensure excellent seed quality.

Black Oil Sunflower versus Striped Sunflower - what's the difference?

There are two types of sunflower available for wild bird feeding: black oil sunflower and striped (confection) sunflower. Here are the key differences between the two:

Striped sunflowers are generally larger than black oil sunflowers. In fact, striped sunflowers are the same type of sunflower you would buy yourself at a convenience store (roasted sunflower seeds - like Spitz for example). However, striped sunflowers for bird feeding have been screened to select smaller seeds that are more suitable for birds.

Oil sunflowers are smaller than striped sunflower and therefore are easier for small birds to handle and contain more oil per gram than striped sunflower. In addition, oil sunflowers have a thinner shell meaning that some birds find it easier to open black oil sunflowers than striped sunflowers. That said, larger birds like jays, woodpeckers and grosbeaks love striped sunflower. Also smaller birds like chickadees, titmice and nuthatches can easily open the shells of striped sunflower seeds. However, some birds like House Sparrows and blackbirds do have more difficulty cracking open striped sunflower seeds. So if you are suffering from an abundance of these types of birds, you could try feeding more striped sunflower seed. This may reduce the number of undesirable birds at your feeders and improve the diversity of birds in your backyard.