Hi,
sunflower seeds get broken down when a bird eats them; the energy (fat)
rich part is the seed itself. On the other hand, berries have a sweet,
interesting shell around the smaller seeds, which are designed to survice
digestion (as in the case of cherries, apple, ivy or yew.
I don't think that the seeds which germinated in your garden constitutes
a significant part of the seeds fed. The sunflower head themselves will
serve as bird food in fall, or they could be cut off, dried and hung out
in winter time.

Reto Riesen
Vancouver, BC
riesenr at chem.ubc.ca

> > Tweeters! >
> I have a really great crop of sunflowers growing around my feeders this
> year. I use a mix which is heavy with both black-oil and striped sunflower
> seeds. This mix supplies a variety of species which feed direct from the
> feeder and ground-feeders eat what gets kicked out. I'm wondering if the
> current crop of plants is due to seeds being kicked out and wasted or if
> they have just passed through the bird. I also have various sunflowers
> growing below natural perching areas.
>
> It would seem like in either case, the birds are not getting the benefits
> from the seed. Comments?
>
>
> Tim Tapio
> Olympia, WA
> tim at timtapio.com
>
>