Topic: At last, Goldfinches!

[Paulines7]

Lorna, I don't think sparrows can get their beaks into the niger feeder holes.  I certainly haven't seen them eating from my seed feeders.  If the "sparrow" was definitely on the feeder and taking the seeds out then I think you have your first finch.
The female chaffinch is very much like a sparrow to look at and so too is the female greenfinch.

[lorna]

Pauline7 OOER!! Now you are making me excited. I will keep a close eye on the feeder. The seed is definitely about 2ins down from full.. I am now keeping my binoculars at the ready. Hope to have news soon. So maybe my patience is paying dividends!!.

[telboy]

Watched one yesterday swinging on 'Golden Rod' stems eating the seeds.
Beautiful birds!

[pakaba]

Not to show off or anything but....
...I had 5 of them yesterday morning for over 3 hours constantly feeding on the niger seed 8). I do wonder how they can fly after gorging themselves for so long ;D.  There were 4  on the feeder and one waiting, when the one waiting got fed up it fluttered around one of the other birds and they gave up their spot!!!  They're very good at sharing  ;D  

One word of hope I will give though is I always have niger seed out and i have NEVER seen any other bird on it except either Goldfinches or very occaisionly a Greenfinch.  I have sunflower hearts out as well and mixed bird feed, and fat balls,and the tits, sparrows, robin etc are more intersted in that than the niger seed..  So if your niger seed is going down then i'd say you've definately got some sort of finch.   ;D  Just  keep watching.  

pakaba

[Paulines7]

At any one time I have seen 4 siskins on mine Pakaba but they are greatly outnumbered by the goldfinches.

[pakaba]

Hi
I've never had a Siskin.....i will  go and look in my bird book to see what they look like and keep a look out.

BTW i went to get some more bird seed today and they had niger feeders in stock so I got one (Ceramic..£8 :o)  so i hope they apreciate it.   Even at the cost I thought it would still be cheaper once you add P&P.

I am going to put it nearer the house to try to  get a good photo.


Pakaba

[Carol]

Siskins are the same colouring as greenfinches but skinny!!!!  they are very acrobatic birds and tend to feed upside down. 

 ;) ;)

[lorna]

I am still watching and waiting ;D This morning there were so many starlings the other birds didn't seem to get a look in but I just got back from picking Grandson up from school and there is one lovely solitary Mr Blackbird. Guess the starling are full up :)

[Toadspawn]

I have feeders containing peanuts, sunflower seed, sunflower hearts, Niger seed plus homemade fat cakes.
In the early part of the year  blue tits, coal tits and great tits were most frequent visitors together with two nuthatches and one great spotted woodpecker. The coal tits took whole peanuts and hid them in moss on the shed roof.
Then eight long tailed tits appeared and stayed for a few weeks.
Initially one goldfinch arrived and now about 5 feed regularly every day. They prefer the sunflower hearts.
I was pleased to get one siskin but at times now there can be as many as 25 fighting over all the food (especially sunflower hearts). They are very messy feeders scattering food about onto the ground for everything else to pick up such as sparrows, blackbirds, chaffinches, green finches. The siskins appear to have frightened the nuthatches and they no longer appear.
Other regular visitors are - pied wagtail, wood pigeon, jackdaws, jays, magpies, wren, dunnocks, robin, collared doves, starlings, song thrush.

[lorna]

SO JEALOUS, I AM NOT GOING TO READ THIS THREAD ANYMORE     ONLY JOKING ;D

[pakaba]

hi
I put my new niger seed feeder out on sunday afternoon, and the greedy little things have emptied it already :o  PLUS half of the original one I used :o. 

I'm going to have to go out tommorrow and get some more seed, i only bought some last week, no chance of it going off here :)

pakaba

[lorna]

OK Yes I am still reading this thread ;D 2 more questions. Do you put apples out whole (looks like the one in Eric's pic was put out whole) I have been cutting them up quite small and put on the small lawn. Secondly today I bought  sunflower hearts to add to my seed selection, do I  mix the hearts with the normal seed in the feeders or is it best to keep them sparate? Thanks as usual.   Lorna.

[Toadspawn]

When I have a spare apple I usually chop it into pieces, although blackbirds in particular are quite happy to peck at whole apples.
I have a feeder with sunflower hearts in only. They disappear very quicly and are a favourite with Siskins and Goldfinches in particular but members of the tit family and the nuthatches are just as fond of them. The ones I scatter on the lawn are eaten by many birds.

[lorna]

Thanks Toadspawn. Will put some hearts out tomorrow in separate feeder. By the looks of the temperature tonight the birds will all be ready for a good feed in the morning

[Tulipa]

Lorna, I have been avoiding reading this thread as I now have some Goldfinches coming to feed and felt guilty about it! 

I put out the nyjer seed as suggested but they are not eating that, it is the sunflower hearts they go for here.

As Toadspawn says, just put them on their own in a seed feeder.  They are a maximum energy source for the birds so really are good for them and they all go for them.  Even the robins eat them.  The greenfinches fight over them and get quite stroppy if one stays on the perch too long, it is so entertaining.  I have kept thinking of you and wondering if you have them too.  I strongly recommend the sunflower hearts and have three feeders full of them which are topped up every other day they eat so many!

I really hope you get some finches soon.

[lorna]

Have today put up feeder with just sunflower hearts in it.. I am going to buy a couple more feeders, I have got 4 feeders at present but I thought as I get so many starlings the more feeders I have will give the other birds a better chance..(Or maybe I will just land up with all the neighbourhood starlings ::) ;D)
Whatever happens I am enjoying the watching and waiting.
Lorna