Several types of birds that like to eat seed scattered on our deck.
We face a problem shared with many people who want to feed birds. Some birds prefer to eat seeds that have been scattered on the ground rather than eating them from an elevated bird feeder. Basically, we like to feed birds like the ones pictured in the panel above. So we scatter bird food on our deck, which is outside the living room windows.
A Grey Squirrel.
We do feed lots of birds on the deck. However, here is the big problem with this approach. We have lots of Grey Squirrels, and they are very good at vacuuming up all the bird seed from the deck. Sunflower seeds are their favorite, and they eat those first. In addition, they chase off the birds. Now we don’t mind feeding the squirrels. They are very interesting creatures to observe. But we would like to devise a way to feed those birds that prefer to eat from ground level.
One of our friends suggested that we feed safflower seeds rather than sunflower seeds. According to our friend, squirrels would not eat safflower seeds, but birds would. So we bought some safflower seeds to give it a try.
A comparison of safflower seeds with sunflower seeds.
A squirrel next to a ring of safflower seeds.
I made a ring of safflower seeds on the deck, and stood by to watch the proceedings. Sure enough, it seemed to work! Squirrels would not eat the safflower seeds. This photograph shows a squirrel eating a sunflower seed right next to the ring of safflower seeds.
A chipmunk.
However, we failed to reckon with a third party that entered the scene to upset our plans. There is another contender for seed strewn on the deck. This is one of several chipmunks that regularly visit our deck in search of food,
A chipmunk packing its cheek pouches with safflower seeds; the squirrel is looking for a sunflower seed.
This photograph shows a squirrel and a chipmunk next to the ring of safflower seeds. The squirrel is looking for a sunflower seed. The chipmunk is busy filling its cheek pouches with safflower seeds. Our chipmunks are never seen to eat any seeds (including sunflower seeds) on the deck; they inevitably load up their cheek pouches and carry them back to their burrows.
A chipmunk runs back and forth across the deck to access the safflower seeds.
This chipmunk set itself the chore of carrying all the safflower seeds away. It made repeated trips back and forth to the safflower seeds on the deck.
A chipmunk running down the walkway and turning off toward its burrow.
Then the chipmunk proceeded down the walkway from the deck and then turned off toward its burrow.
The gradual disappearance of the safflower seeds as they are carried off by a chipmunk.
The panel above shows the gradual diminution of the ring of safflower seeds after repeated trips by the chipmunk. Now, I have to emphasize that we never, in fact, saw the chipmunk eat any safflower seeds; all were carried away to its burrow. However, I presume that these seeds were stored up for future consumption, and not used to make a beanbag chair or something.
It was surprising to me that chipmunks and squirrels, which are fairly closely related, would differ so much in their taste for safflower seeds. I do not know the basis for squirrels distaste for safflower seeds, but it is clearly not shared by our chipmunks.