Nyjer seed

dickf3 said:

Walmart has a 10 lb. Bag of Nyjer seed. “Best used by 09/27”. Product of India. 

Google AI says Nyjer seed  stays “good/fresh” in sealed container for 3-6 or 6-12 months. In optimal storage conditions. Answers vary, depending on wording.

I crushed 2 seeds (as suggested online, to test freshness) in the bag; they split without release of visible (through the sealed clear plastic bag)  oil.

I see Nyjer seed is harvested in India in January and February.

Buy, or avoid?

That's hard to say - I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWTKGVPJ

Thanks. When you do that, could you also report here if that bag has a “best used by” date, and where it was grown, if so labelled?

I was considering getting it now because I spotted dark eyed juncos, who feed on the ground,  searching the cleared patio for food.

At your link, I see it is “product of India”. So presumably your seed was harvested last Jan-Feb. Could the seed at Walmart have been harvested this month and made its way to Union already - doubtful. 

fwiw, 10 lbs. at Walmart was $15. 

dickf3 said:

Thanks. When you do that, could you also report here if that bag has a “best used by” date, and where it was grown, if so labelled?

I was considering getting it now because I spotted dark eyed juncos, who feed on the ground,  searching the cleared patio for food.

I keep a couple of feeders up year round and find Nyjer is the least favorite. I buy Seed & Suet, it's already shelled just to avoid the mess on the ground.

I have juncos, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, finches, wrens and woodpeckers right now.

I also hang suet cakes, which are a big draw.

Oh, that's nice arrangement, so the perchers have access to the suet cake : )

My suet cake just dangles.  The woodpeckers and sparrows (and squirrels of course) go for it, but the ground feeders and perchers probably can't get to it (if they want it).  Though there was one junco who got up there and stood on it a few years back.  Also it's frozen pretty hard right now.  Should get up to 20 or so today or tomorrow, so maybe it will loosen up?

Your pictures are always wonderful, thanks for posting!

dickf3 said:

At your link, I see it is “product of India”. So presumably your seed was harvested last Jan-Feb. Could the seed at Walmart have been harvested this month and made its way to Union already - doubtful. 

fwiw, 10 lbs. at Walmart was $15. 

Yes - mine is from India - the spot where I should see the best by date is blank.  I just filled up my feeder and threw a bunch on the ground.  After reading the label - I was surprised to see that mourning doves were mentioned.  I always thought they naturally hung around the yard and ate up any of the seed that dropped.  

mjc said:

Oh, that's nice arrangement, so the perchers have access to the suet cake : )

My suet cake just dangles.  The woodpeckers and sparrows (and squirrels of course) go for it, but the ground feeders and perchers probably can't get to it (if they want it).  Though there was one junco who got up there and stood on it a few years back.  Also it's frozen pretty hard right now.  Should get up to 20 or so today or tomorrow, so maybe it will loosen up?

Your pictures are always wonderful, thanks for posting!

I have to wire it well or the raccoons or squirrels will remove it.  The feeders are shared with deer and squirrels. I recently read that even with snow on the ground we should provide water.

I haven't done water yet, though i probably should.  Saw an idea online the other day:  put a dark-colored brick in an inch or two of water, and it should melt at least some of the ice even on a 20-degree day (assuming sunshine??).

(back to original topic?)

mjc said:

I haven't done water yet, though i probably should.  Saw an idea online the other day:  put a dark-colored brick in an inch or two of water, and it should melt at least some of the ice even on a 20-degree day (assuming sunshine??).

(back to original topic?)

I saw that in my FB news feed. I have an outside outlet so I'm thinking of ordering a plug-in dog's water bowl.  I have one in my garage for a pair of feral cats.  I usually just bring warm water out to fill the bird baths but with deep snow everywhere it's challenging to keep refilling during this unusually cold season.

I put out a bunch of my leftover nyjer seed on the snow and some in my feeder.  We had 10-12 small birds eating off the snow immediately.  But today hardly any - so I think my batch is no longer popular

ETA  - actually they’re back!

Thanks Jamie. I saw your message earlier, and didn’t know what to make of it. But seeing your ETA now, I’m going to go for it, especially as it looks like the snow cover isn’t disappearing anytime soon.

Busy morning- with an occasional scare by this other guy

Generally 'Best By' or 'Sell By' dates are very conservative.  This goes for both fresh & frozen foods, and for seeds, which can be used long past the date on the package.  

Flower & vegetable seeds are supposed to be used the year of purchase, but if stored in the fridge you will get satisfactory germination the following year.

jamie said:

Busy morning- with an occasional scare by this other guy

Hawk? He looks grey in the shadows but I'm guessing he's brown. Red Tailed Hawks are the most common visitors.

Very nice photos and videos. I came across it while searching for info on Nyjer seed, and could view all without an account. Yet when I post link here, and then follow that link,  I can’t see much. Maybe by searching on the title it can be fully viewed by non-facebook people.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MDBirding/posts/2451774108265502/

I was using seed from last year - and the birds are eating it.   I'm not sure if it helps or not - but my feeder has yellow color on it.  I'm going through half a feeder a day!  Ugh - I'll try the cheaper seed soon.  I know others who haven't had luck - maybe it's all about location.

The plumage cycle for the males is interesting:

https://www.sibleyguides.com/2012/05/the-annual-plumage-cycle-of-a-male-american-goldfinch/

They're just starting to change.

Over the winter I was ordering seed from Chewy because it was less expensive than any of the local stores. Especially for the No-Mess stuff. Plus the bags show up at my house and I don’t have to carry them far. 

I also bought a couple of suet feeders. One all metal that holds two cakes. The other is wood and has a perch designed for woodpeckers to land on. The squirrels have slowly been destroying the wooden one. They even bent one of the metal grating bars so I don’t know what kind of gamma-irradiated squirrels are running around town. 

mrincredible said:

Over the winter I was ordering seed from Chewy because it was less expensive than any of the local stores. Especially for the No-Mess stuff. Plus the bags show up at my house and I don’t have to carry them far. 

I also bought a couple of suet feeders. One all metal that holds two cakes. The other is wood and has a perch designed for woodpeckers to land on. The squirrels have slowly been destroying the wooden one. They even bent one of the metal grating bars so I don’t know what kind of gamma-irradiated squirrels are running around town. 

and if method 1 and 2 doesn't work open the side doors and get snacks from the inside.

Rubbing some olive oil on the lower pole of a bird feeder can prevent the squirrels from climbing it.  Once the squirrels learn that they can not climb the bird feeder pole, they go elsewhere.  

RobertRoe said:

Rubbing some olive oil on the lower pole of a bird feeder can prevent the squirrels from climbing it.  Once the squirrels learn that they can not climb the bird feeder pole, they go elsewhere.  

I hope people allow them to eat the bird seeds. They have babies in their nests now and are struggling to feed them. Also hoping people will wait a few months before tree pruning.