The Kitchen Ingredient That Will Have Sparrows Flocking To Your Yard
Adding bird feeders and birdbaths can be a great way to attract more birds to your garden. However, when it comes to encouraging more birds to flock to your yard, plain store-bought seed blends and water features aren't your only options. Instead, with just a single kitchen ingredient, you can create an inviting space for grain-eating birds like sparrows. Cornmeal can be a good choice for your backyard birds for several reasons. First, it's easy to digest, giving you more peace of mind when it comes to feeding your feathered friends. Cornmeal is also nutritious, meaning that any birds that stop by for a snack can fuel up for the day ahead. The best part of cornmeal, however, is how versatile this common kitchen ingredient is. It can be readily paired with other ingredients, helping you attract not only sparrows but a range of different birds, as well.
Before diving into using cornmeal to attract sparrows and other birds, you may be interested in learning more about the different recipes available. It's also important to familiarize yourself with what to look for in cornmeal, as you don't want to choose an option that does more harm than good.
How to use cornmeal to attract more birds
Offering cornmeal to sparrows and other backyard birds is easy, as all you need to do is spread it across a tray and choose the perfect spot. Consider the best places to hang a bird feeder in your yard and keep those characteristics in mind when choosing the right spot for your tray of cornmeal. After all, you want to offer a food source that's both safe and appealing. Along with taking the time to choose a good location, it's also important to choose a cornmeal option that's safe for birds. This means avoiding any additives that could hurt your feathered friends, such as pre-seasoned blends that may contain garlic or onion.
Leaving out plain cornmeal is only one option for attracting more birds to your yard. It can also be blended with other common household ingredients to create a bird food that attracts a greater variety of birds. For example, you can use bird-safe peanut butter with cornmeal to make a DIY suet feeder that woodpeckers, chickadees, and other types of birds enjoy. You can even mix it with fruit additives, such as a bird-safe jelly, to catch the eyes of birds like juncos.
If attracting more sparrows is your main goal, you may choose to blend cornmeal with other ingredients that are on their list of favorite foods. This includes white millet and black oil sunflower seeds. Don't worry about scaring other backyard birds away with this blend, though. These ingredients aren't just loved by sparrows but also by some quail and towhees.