These aren't the usual shelled bird peanuts that are eagerly accepted by most types of birds. These are whole, unshelled peanuts; a food that not all wild things can manage. This is part of what we're looking for by feeding peanuts to our backyard wildlife -- encouraging some to come dine in our yard while discouraging others (such as the pigeons, whose bills can't open peanut shells). While most folks probably don't think that bluejays need much encouraging, the truth is we love to photograph these lively birds, and they're always willing to work for peanuts.
One of the best books for specialty feeding is Bill Adler's IMPECCABLE BIRDFEEDING, which discusses different types of common birds and specialty foods. Adler's book introduced us to the idea of adding whole fruits and nuts to our regular bird foods, to attract a different group of birds and animals into our yards.
Peanuts are a farily universal food; a food that can be fed a lot of creatures around the world. They're high in protein and in oils, making them a good source of nutrition for all seasons. Shop around at a feed store -- the prices per pound of feed store peanuts can be 1/3 to 1/6th the cost of what they sell for in grocery stores.
Here's a partial list of global wildlife that eats unshelled peanuts:
woodpeckers titmice chipmunks jays squirrels raccoons mice monkeys parrots and their relatives . I've been told that kukaburras in Australia eat them, but haven't had anyone confirm it.
Part of the fun of feeding unshelled peanuts is seeing how the animals deal with the food. Squirrels sit and chew the shells to pieces, eating them as fast as they can. Mice are the dine-out, take-out sorts that may eat them in place (if they feel safe enough) or run off to their nests with the peanuts. Jays are fastidious; eyeing the peanuts with the
Go To Page: 1 2
