Hold it right there, partner! Drop that bag of Wonderbread—that stuff is like poison for birds and local wildlife. If you want to do some good for our feathered friends on Long Island, start feeding them healthy, natural snacks that actually nourish them. What do we have in mind? DEES’ NUTS! Oh—and seeds, corn, and high-quality bird food mixes. Chicks (and other birds) go crazy over Dees’ nuts.  

Dees’ Nuts (and Seeds) are the Superior Food for Birds

Unsure of what is safe to use when feeding the birds? Here are some safe bird food options you can place in feeders around the yard to help support our local wildlife populations so they can make it through another cold winter on Long Island. Who knew Dees’ nuts could have such a positive impact on our city?

Peanuts

This classic baseball game snack is a favorite among the cardinals, the orioles, and many more! You can give birds whole or shelled peanuts but shelled varieties make less of a mess in the yard. Stick to unsalted nuts—birds don’t like salty nuts, and anything with processed flavoring is a no-no. Avoid the honey-roasted bar nuts and stick to plain, unroasted nuts like the ones found in our Super Deluxe Wild Bird Food Blend.

Tree Nuts

Peanuts aren’t the only nuts good for feeding your avian neighbors! Tree nuts are super nutritious and tasty. We normally eat them in pesto sauce, but wild animals prefer them straight-up. Like other nuts, they’re great for larger birds, but if you crush Dees’ nuts, the tiny finches and sparrows can also eat them. If you find the squirrels are hogging all the nuts, you can buy a blend coated with capsaicin—the stuff that makes peppers spicy. Birds can’t taste the spice, but rodents hate it!

Sunflower Hearts and Seeds

Whole sunflower seeds are perfectly fine for feeding wildlife, but the shells may make a mess. We’ve also heard of surprise sunflowers starting to sprout underneath feeders! A less messy alternative is shelled sunflower hearts. The high-fat content is actually really good for the fauna on Long Island because higher nutrient content means less of a need to scramble around for more. They’ll be well-fed and nicely fattened up to survive another New York winter!

Cracked Corn

Corn doesn’t have much fat compared to nuts and seeds. However, it has plenty of fiber and protein, making it a fantastic supplementary snack for feeding wildlife. Look for seed mixes that contain cracked corn, like our Hearty Delight blend from Valley Farms. It’s clean, shell-free, and super effective at attracting birds like blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, finches, sparrows, tufted titmice, and many more!

Millet

These tiny round seeds grow on long stalks, and they’re packed with nutritious vitamins like magnesium, protein, and calcium. You can often find full stalks at pet stores for feeding caged pets, but loose millet is often blended into premium seed mixes. It’s an ideal snack for small species with tiny beaks—they’re much easier for the little guys to manage! 

Hummingbird Feeders

Let’s not forget about feeding the hummingbirds! They aren’t as into Dees’ nuts, which is okay—not everyone has to love them. Instead, hummingbirds drink nectar. Planting colorful, tubular flowers is one way to provide food sources for hummingbirds, but you can also buy special hummingbird feeders. They’re typically red—hummingbirds’ favorite color—and you can fill them with store-bought nectar that provides the sweet sustenance hummingbirds crave! Remember to clean them out regularly to prevent them from getting funky. It’s important to keep things safe and hygienic when feeding wild animals! 

There are even more Dees’ nuts (and seeds) to discover here at Dees’ Nursery. Visit us soon to stock up! Remember: always stick to high-quality, natural foods when feeding birds in NY, and if you’re giving them anything from your kitchen, check first to see if it’s safe and non-toxic.