New seed touted as better for birds

THE GRAND BLANC NEWS
Sunday, May 20, 2007
By Julia Zaher

GRAND BLANC - Bird watchers may be amused to know that bird seed is subjected to side-by-side taste comparisons in much the same way humans are asked to do blind comparisons of Pepsi or Coke.

Recent tests show that birds prefer a newly developed organic seed called NutraSaff 2-to-1 over traditional safflower seed, according to the seed's producer, Safflower Technologies International of Sidney, Mont.

Mike Dawson, seed specialist at J.J. Cardinal's Wild Bird & Nature Store, 12830 S. Saginaw Road, has been impressed with the new seed, which has been on the market for only two years. So he did his own test at home. Setting up two identical areas - one with regular safflower seeds, which are bright white and have a shell that birds leave behind, the other with NutraSaff - Dawson tracked feeding patterns.

NutraSaff has a very thin outer hull and a higher oil, protein and fat content than traditional safflower seed. The manufacturer said it's easier for birds to eat and digest. Like people, birds are creatures of habit. Dawson said that initially, the birds ate the traditional seed. But after a couple of days, they were ignoring the old seed and eating NutraSaff twice as fast. "It's beak-smacking good," Dawson said.

As an added bonus, squirrels don't like the new seed, and larger birds such as grackles and starlings, which some consider a nuisance, also don't care for it. Like gas prices, the price of bird seed can rise and fall significantly. NutraSaff sells at J.J. Cardinals for $7.40 for a 10-pound bag. "A store in Grand Rapids gets three times that (price)," Dawson said. He said the store makes every effort to keep its birdseed prices constant. But as food manufacturers look for alternatives to reduce trans fats, a new safflower oil could quickly be in high demand, and humans could be taste-testing NutraSaff as well. ***

Grand Blanc News is a weekly publication of the Flint Journal
jzaher@grandblancnews.com • 810.766.6284