Songbird Selections, 11-Pound 11986 No-Mess Patio Blend Wild Bird Food

Yes, Scott did a lot of damage poisoning birds. But after they got fined big-time, they sold off the product to a company that appears to actually like birds.The Audubon Park product amazon is now selling has no pesticides and no herbicides. It does have a natural preservative that is either closely related to Vitamin E or actually is Vitamin E. It also has a spectrum of other vitamins that Wikipedia reveals are what birds need. And it no longer warns people against feeding it to domestic birds, something the poisonous product did for fear someone might notice there was a problem when all their birds died. (The wild birds were polite enough to fly off and die somewhere else.)Why any company would pay even a dollar for a brand as damaged as this one was, I have no idea. However, the product is back to being the the high-quality product that Scott always promise us.As for buying no-mess vs. regular bird seed, while an equal-weight bag costs more, it is unclear whether each seed costs more: Most bird seed mixes have a lot of extra shell material included with the seed. Not only does this make for a mess, since the animals won't eat it, but it raises the price per pound of actual seed, since you are paying for not only actual seed, but a whole bunch of waste.The birds do succeed in scattering a fair amount of this seed on the ground as they squabble and eat, but then they end up feeding on it where it falls, so it all disappears. This means the seed is not so much "no-mess" as "temporary mess." (The squirrels also have a go at it down there, but, for whatever reason, our squirrels are not a nuisance. Otherwise, I'd put something down below my feeders to catch the seed as it falls.)The one thing I find questionable about the new product is their use of the name, "AUDUBON park," in bright white letters and "park" in tiny little dark letters. When I ordered the new seed after seeing "Audubon" on the package photo, I assumed the Audubon Society had endorsed the product, only seeing the word, "park" once I had the full-size bag sitting in front of me. Seems pretty obvious to me that they're hoping people will assume an unwarranted association, but, then, that's an issue for the Audubon Society's lawyers and does not affect the quality of the seed.

For comparison's sake. we have three feeders hanging on our deck: one with niger seed for finches, one with a type of seed designed for cardiinals (which is also attractive to some other birds) and one with this Songbird selection mix. The Scotts is by far the most popular with birds.Depending on your budget and preferences, this seed has its advantages and disadvantages. You'll see a constant and frequent variety of birds at this feeder. But of course this means you'll also have to refill the feeder and buy seed more often. Our fairly generously sized feeder can easily be emptied within 2 days or less!Thiis seed attracts finches, cardinals, tiny sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches, flickers,and other small birds. It might be appealing to larger ones except we have an effective squirrel-proof feeder with weight limits to discourage larger and peskier birds which would drive away the ones we love to watch. Again, this is a matter of personal taste but we don't like to see grackles as the sole birds at our feeders.Besides, there is a bit of seed we manage to intentionally "spill" to satisfy squirrels and some larger birds. We do try to make sure it comes from the less popular seed mixes, though, as we are busy enough keeping feeders filled with the Songbird mix !

I never thought a type of birdseed would make such a difference for the type of birds attracted to the feeder. My tube feeder is on the fire escape, in the middle of a big city -- and I needed to switch to a no waste, no mess seed because the hulls and shells falling below were attracting rats (yikes). Before switching to Scotts Songbird Selections we were using that general "mixed seed" bought in the supermarket and thought we were lucky to have regular visits from red finches, sparrows, doves, the occasional cardinal and now and then a blue jay.Within minutes of putting this new seed in the feeder we were rewarded with so many new birds: a family of titmice, juncos, chickadees, and a little clinging downy woodpecker (who doesn't like this kind of feeder but clings tenaciously and manages to snag a peanut). It's just amazing. I can't believe all these birds have been around here all this time, just waiting for me to provide what they really want. The blue jays are happier too, now I see three or four a time -- the whole family is coming by. (I know blue jays are common but I think they're just gorgeous)I highly recommend this seed -- the birds love it, it's a good price and with prime free shipping, easier than lugging home from the store (if I could find it in the city)

I love this seed. My birds love this seed. It has just gotten too expensive for me to keep buying. It went up about $10 since I first started ordering it. With postage, a small bag is now $40. Sorry birdies I can't afford it. You will get the cheap seed (pun intended) from here on out.

I ordered this seed as it stated that it would not sprout when it got on the ground. With my 'store bought' seed I was continually having to weed the area under the feeder. With this seed I no longer have to do that.... absolutely no sprouting with this seed. And on top of that the birds like it as well. Now if I can just find a seed that the squirrels don't get into.

My patio birds love Songbird Selections 1022791 No-Mess Patio Seed... The sparrows come in flocks for it so now I use two feeders. It's a funny sight, and delightful to see the birds lined up on the fence waiting their turn to hit the bird feeder. The mourning doves collect on the patio floor to eat what gets kicked out of the feeder and when the feeder is empty the sparrows, and cardinals pick up the left-overs on the ground. Essentially they clean up after themselves. It's pricy, but not too much when you consider it all gets eaten with very little left that falls to the ground around my peony bush. Good bang for the buck.