Bruce Church convinced me to switch from mixed seed to safflower. We have cardinals, blue jays, and chickadees. All three love sunflower seeds and safflower. Squirrels are not fans of safflower seeds.
The Duncraft feeder has kept squirrels out, so that was not the big issue. The Walmart store in Jane had a better deal on safflower than sunflower seed.
Duncraft sent me one of their html emails, and I looked over their offerings too. They promote blended seeds of all types, plus a few choices in single seed bags (sunflower, safflower). I have concluded that the seed companies are far more interested in buying habits than feeding habits.
I dumped the old, blended seed on the ground and put the safflower seed in the Duncraft feeder. Soon a chickadee was lighting on the feeder, picking up a seed, looking at me, and flying off. When the sun is rising, the birds cast shadows on the far wall as they light and feed.
The squirrels are getting their due. They get mixed seed on the window sill and the sheltered planter near the front door. They also have the corn feeder outside the dining room, beyond the deck. I put a lot of mixed seed in the planter and it was all gone the next day.
An ear of corn mounted on a tree is fun, because the squirrels swirl around the trunk as they determine who is going to eat next. Their uneven legs are designed for movement on trees, so they hop awkwardly on the ground, but flow effortlessly up and down trees.
Duncraft wants to sell me expensive balls of nesting material. Instead, we have three mobile hair factories. The dogs shed tufts of hair, which birds love for their nests. Birds have been recycling since Creation.
