Feeding Frenzy on Niger Grass

I’ve used Niger seeds now and then, without actually having a Niger feeder. These tiny seeds get lost easily, of course, which is why I’ve been mixing it in with the peanuts when making peanut cake for my feathered visitors. Still, many a seed had escaped already, but you tend to forget about these once spring moves into summer and then late summer, where we are now.
Weeding the planter, which as a birdtable, sees a lot of spilt (sunflower/mixed)seeds over time, has been necessary almost daily at some point. I started to notice that it was getting harder to get clear pictures of my birds and that these were getting lost among the many seedlings, so I’d take time in the early morning when putting food out, and sit there quietly for some time, pulling out grasses, and other germinated seeds. I might have destroyed many Sunflowers’ chances of growing up and setting seed for my birds, but with a very large Fennel in my planter, it would have competed too much for root space probably. Also, a large Sunflower would have easily blown over, as the height of the planter would have added an extra 80cm. to the Sunflower at least. And living at the Atlantic coast has meant disaster for many tall objects already {our homemade and very sturdy birdtable, rising up from the planter, was blown of its perch after 2 heavy storms, last winter.}
However, one of the Grassy types had managed to escape me, and grew up among or behind the Fennel, and when taking pictures of the birds, I started to notice Grass blades in the Fennel. It grew and grew, and I started to get used to the leaf among the Fennel stalks, so I just left it.
. And It had started to set seed a few weeks ago, and I loved the structure of its seedpods, so I’d watch it regularly, swaying in the wind. Apparently, the Sparrows had noticed it too, as these were quick to take advantage of these seeds and I saw the Sparrows fight in the Fennel where they would even try and sit on fronds; anything would be tried out, in their attempts to reach the seedpods hanging in-between their favourite Climbing frame. There was a lot of squabbling too among the Sparrows and many would peck at each other, in an attempt to get hold of that {single? multiple?} seed within the seed pod.

I’m almost convinced that it was Niger, but it could have been any germinated seed from the Mixed seed Mixes I use.. It doesn’t really matter what it was but I do think about sowing some Niger seeds, next spring!