A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity The Bird Lovers Forum Safflower seed

I just read that Grackles don't like safflower seeds. Has anyone tried this?

I've been using safflower seeds for about a week now,, They( grackles) tried but quickly flew off I haven't had to refill my feeders everyday now,, the finches and cardinal and sparrows eat the safflower seeds,, and the doves eat what ever drops , I am Loving me some safflower seeds, I get them at pet smart marketed by the Audubon society

this feeder has safflower seeds in it

Thanks!!!

The crackles and a pair of brown headed cow birds have all but taken over my feeders---when the thistle is gone----I will be hunting down some safflower seeds----

But then there is the wild bird feeder---although I usually take it down and put up a hummingbird feeder in its place, and that will happen here about May 1st.---- :wink:

Diane, that little bird is looking straight at me.


I came home today and the driveway, back porch, side and front of my house are covered with poop. It's awful. Johnny washed some of it off before we had to leave for a birthday party. He'll wash the rest tomorrow. Those Grackles are constantly flying over my house. I think they have nests in the neighbors yard. The neighbors don't put out seed but the Grackles fly from my yard over the house into their yard. Back and forth all day.

All the seed and suet are gone. Tomorrow everything will be safflower seeds. Why doesn't Lizzie get a hold of one of those.

Yep The grackles used to do that here to back and forth now they just stay in the neighbors yard this week they leave their dog food out and the grackles eat it and something flyby with it in their mouth and drop in in my yard,, I pick it up and throw it back over the fence so the grackles won't come back eating in my yard,

don't get me wrong I still have a few grackles in the trees but they don't eat from the feeders any more,, That I know about anyway

They can be here but I do not want them chasing away all my pretty birds-----I love that you guys found all of this out, and that I caught the thread ---thanks millions !!!!

I don't even want them in my yard. I'm not joking. It doesn't show up on a picture. But my house and walkways are covered with poop.

Thanks Sheri---I know I do not want that on my deck--and as a matter of fact I had a small problem with that last summer for the first time----yep, I gotta get rid of them---- :wink:

I know what you mean I've had to power hose my patio and chairs and table down too many times already this spring it's something I would normally do every 2-3 weeks,, Hopefully now it will get back to that as opposed to almost every evening

Our house is yellow siding and we usually have it washed once a year. This has never happened before. They've either been walking around on our front porch or the wind was blowing as they flew by because the porch is covered too and it's a covered porch.

this is the only feeder with seed left. It's in back of the house and I've only seen 1 or 2 Grackles on it. This little bird is almost underneath it and I think he's trying to hide from those mean birds.




By the way, do Grackles eat holly or nandina berries?

I don't know if they do,, Did you buy some safflower seeds??

Of course my Lowe's doesn't have safflower seeds. I had to order it for store delivery.

I was asking about the berries because a lot of the poop is berry colored and I noticed today that there isn't 1 berry left on the 10 holly trees in our yard or on the nandinas.

I don't know about Grackles, but I know that Waxwings LOVE Holly berries! As to safflower seed, I don't use it, but I understand that it is GREAT to use!

I don't think the waxwings are making this mess since I rarely see them. I guess they could have eaten the berries though.

Hey Sheri Here's a picture of your favorite Bird,,

You Notice he is now on the Other side of the fence
yearning for those BOSF seeds I won't buy anymore

I saw the flock of waxwings today and they are the ones eating all the berries BUT they didn't come to the driveway side of the house at all because there are no berries SO I don't think they are making the mess. The holly trees are across the front of the house and the poop is on the driveway side for the most part.

That is a pretty bird but we have too many of them and they devour everything.

What are you doing about suet? They devour that too.

I don't put suet out at all

well ok then. Since the seeds have been gone the birds are back down in the pecan orchard. Oh happy day.

so Diane I was wondering---I too have the same feeder that you do, and I was wondering which feeder port you are using for the safflower seed ?

so I'm getting rid of the cage feeders and getting more loose seed ones.

Carol. I believe I still have the larger ports on that feeder,,

do I need larger ports? Are the seeds big?

no the seeds are the size of shell sunflower seeds but just a scosh larger, I just never turned mine back to the smaller ports,, but they could still get it from the smaller Port I'm sure!

Thanks Diane---

I'll tell youwhat I am gonna do---First I neec to find the safflower seed---then I will leave th4 smaller prts on and see if the seed is going down---if so then we will know---if not it is no big deal to change the ports out.

Sheri---this feeder was an inexpensive one I got from Wal-mart---it comes with 2 feeder port choices.--so it is like getting 2 feeders in one---

that's the same one I have Carol It came with two ports you just change out. Carol You might want to call Pet smart or any grain and feed store to see if they have safflower seeds,, I did call around first,, With gas prices I didn't want to drive all over looking for it. I know the walmart by my house doesn't carry it but of all places Kroger Store had it

Thanks Diane I will
--but right now I am not driving so it is a moot point.
--good thing I still have some thistle left, huh??

Yep Good Thing! I have used the last of my combination seed in the feeder with the safflower so it doesn't go to waste I hated to do it because it might bring the grackles back, But I wasn't going to throw it away either.

I would of done the same thing---my combination seed has been gone now for a few days---I was gonna have Val put up my hummingbird feeders yesterday but with all the rain due-(forcast for today thru next monday)- I thought I may as well wait---

well it's for sure the sunflower seeds because since my feeders have been empty the Grackles have been gone. How do they know? Can they smell it because i haven't even seen them check by. I hate not being able to put out suet though. Since my problem I've noticed them everywhere around here. Maybe it's a fluke thing with their birth rate lately.

I'm wondering if I've accused the Grackels faslely because the waxwings keep flying back and forth, about 20-25 in number and they are the ones eating the berries. I checked the row of hollies out front and the berries are gone. This stuff on the house and sidewalks does look like berries. We've hired a person to wash the house and walkways and she says she doesn't think it's from the birds at all. She doesn't know what happened but she doesn't think it's bird poop because it's in sections. half of the driveway and that side of the house is affected but the other half isn't. Half of the plants are covered and half are not and the same on the front of the house. Would a cat fight with more than 1 bird at a time? I'm beginning to wonder if Lizzy was fighting with a few birds and they were wounded and flying around and pooping everywhere. Only the cleaning person doesn't seem to think it's poop and even though the waxwings are continuing to fly there isn't any more of it. The grackles are gone and it's stopped. I don't know.

got the safflower seed and put it out but Diane I did like you. I had bought some cake sunflower seeds right before all this happened so I put it out too. We'll see what happens.

it seems the birds don't so much like the safflower seeds. The only bird I saw come close to eating it was a chickadee who picked up a seed and dropped it.

they will They have to adjust,, as why I first put the safflower seeds in first,, then a layer of the seeds I had that the grackles like,, then another layer of safflower they had to eat the safflower to get what they really like,, I still have a bit of the old seeds left but it's getting mixed in slowly with mostley safflower,, the cardinal and bluejays are eating all the safflower now, but the finches are used to it, and are always there eating it,

I've got it mixed in one feeder so maybe they'll catch on.

I had a problem with grackles at my suet feeder until I bought a bottom feeder. Only the woodpeckers and birds that cling can feed off of it. The grackles got discouraged and moved on. I bought mine from Doctors Foster and Smith online. It took a week for the woodpeckers to figure it out but now they love it and the nuthatches also eat from it. I love Cardinals and once I started using safflower my numbers increased.

Hi thistle. Glad to know the cardinals like it because I have a lot of cardinals.

By the way, welcome.

The safflower seeds in my platform feeder have sprouted. The birds never touched them but they did eat them out of the other feeders.

My tube feeder is empty of safflower seed for the last time.
I think the birds put more on the ground than in their stomach.

The Cardinals could not figure out how to sit in the bottom perch and eat out of the top port, so they have left, as have most of my goldfinches and 2 pairs of my doves. So today I am going to change out ports and fill the tube feeder with thistle once again. if the crackles & such return well then so be it.

Rodney surprised me last night by buying me some new Niger seed when he was out.
he says it is part of my birthday.--So I am happy now and my birds should be happy soon!!!!

Cardinals like PLATFORM feeders, NOT TUBE feeders. They have trouble eating from tube feeders.