Thanksgiving is here and I couldn’t be happier. 2024 has been an “interesting” year and I, for one, just need a break. Even the hustle and bustle of the holiday (the shopping, cooking, traveling, or hosting) can be a delightful distraction from the hustle and bustle of our everyday routines. Tiring though it may be, it is still a sort of tired that can come with a smile.

Perhaps my favorite facet of the Thanksgiving holiday is the menu planning. Turkey with homemade gravy is non-negotiable, but then there are the sides. The selection has to be tailored to the guest list and the possible items are recognizable, sometimes silly, and utterly necessary. Rice or potatoes?

Cranberry sauce or cranberry relish? Peas or corn? Green bean casserole or candied yams? And don’t get me started on the stuffing. So many exotic ingredients to add to the basic stuffing recipe and all of them are wrong. Also, is it stuffing, or dressing? So complicated.

A joyous riot of preparation and negotiation is always good for the soul. Equally good is the simple notion of giving. To care about others and to have the opportunity to be generous are extremely valuable and they can nourish your heart. It feels good to provide for others and those others don’t always have to be human. Animals are regularly the recipients of love and whether it’s a horse, cow, parrot, chicken, cat, dog, rabbit, or Guinea pig it feels good to take care of someone. So, you will probably find it supremely unsurprising that my attention will turn to the wild birds outside.

It turns out that birds are quite like the various people that we might think about when preparing the Thanksgiving menu. Each species seems to have a favorite and, with just a tiny bit of effort it is possible to prepare a birdseed menu that will make everyone happy. All you have to do is figure out who is coming to your feeders and what they would really love the most. With years of experience based on years of observation I think I can offer a little insight into who likes what.

First off, sunflower seeds. This item is as non-negotiable as the Thanksgiving turkey. The “king” of seeds, the sunflower seed is the one item that is universal in its acceptance. The only question is the exact type of sunflower seed that you select. The three main varieties of sunflower seeds are gray-striped, black oil, or shelled. Experience at the Thinking Chair has taught me that the largest variety, gray-striped, will be especially favored by White-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays and squirrels. Other species will go for these seeds if there is nothing else, but why stop with just one variety?

Black-oil sunflower seeds are smaller with thinner shells and this makes them easier for smaller birds to enjoy. White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and even the different woodpeckers will tuck in to a generous feast whenever black-oil sunflower seeds are offered, but you might keep in mind that the shells of these seeds can cause problems for garden plants if they build up in large quantities. That is why some people splurge on the shelled sunflower seeds. These are basically little sticks of butter that birds like Black-capped Chickadees and American Goldfinches go absolutely crazy for.

Next is the concept of a mixed seed. There are different recipes for mixed seed, but one essential ingredient is white millet. This is a small, round seed with a thin shell that might be familiar to anyone who has a pet bird. This is the seed that the different sparrows will really enjoy, but Mourning Doves will also dig in with gusto. The only thing to remember with mixed seed is that it is best served on the ground. Birds that visit feeders will tend to pick out all of the choicest morsels and abandon the millet, which can eventually “clog” a feeder with unwanted food. Just think about the Halloween candy supply that remains one week after Halloween. All of the good stuff is long gone and the “weird” candy is all that remains.

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Finally, we come to the specialty items. The first of these is a relative of the sunflower called nyjer seed. A very slender and small black seed that is sometimes referred to as “thistle” seed, this is the delicacy favored by the finches and its presentation is of the utmost importance. Nyjer seed should be put out in a feeder that is specially designed for its small size. Some feeders are made of metal mesh, while others are inexpensive “socks” that can be filled and hung out for the birds.

The last special “seed” is going to be the peanut. Squirrels and birds of all sizes will go crazy for peanuts and it once again boils down to presentation. Peanuts in their shells will be carried away by squirrels and Blue Jays, but it might surprise you to learn that Tufted Titmice are also peanut aficionados. To see one of these little birds fly off with a peanut almost as large as itself is simply hilarious. Removed from their shells, peanuts are available to a wider audience. Chopped peanuts will appeal to an audience that is wider still. And, of course, all of the seeds that have been mentioned today can be mixed with beef fat and offered up in the form of suet cakes. So many choices!

Whether you’re reading this column before the big feast, or after, I hope that you are able to take some time to embrace the love of friends and family and to find a modicum of peace. I hope that food can fill your belly, love can fill your heart, and a sense of wellbeing can fill your entire being to the brim.

Be well , stay safe, and I’ll talk to you again next week.

Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 27 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more in formation visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.