I don’t usually offer sunflowers in the shell at my bird feeders because the birds fling the hulls everywhere which end up making a mess in the lawn. Plus those hulls have a toxin in them that can inhibit the growth of some plants.
But over the last year the price of bird seed (like everything else) has increased considerably and black oil sunflower seeds were a lot cheaper than those nice “no mess” mixes, so I purchased a couple of bags to use over the winter.
I was worried about the mess being back under the feeders when the snow finally melted, but thankfully I have a great clean-up crew (I just wish they also didn’t dig holes everywhere, eat bulbs and chew plants to the ground in the spring and summer)!
