Goldfinches getting ready to fly off

dmclean2 · #1 (**permalink**) 17-10-2009, 02:55 PM

Hi Folks,
I have had one or two Goldfinches visit my feeders each week throughout the summer months,
But since last week,
Sunday --28, Monday --30, Tuesday --36, Wednesday --5,
Thursday --14, Friday --12, today Saturday --12,
This has happned for the past 2 years although last year it wasn't until the begining of November, they come in and start to feed up prior to migrating
they seem to know where to come for their food, thats for sure,
and they give me lots of enjoyment watching their antics
Duncan

ps; there are ten of them out there now as I write

Ollie · #2 (**permalink**) 17-10-2009, 08:03 PM

More or less the same with me. I have had small numbers all summer. five or six birds at the most but over the last couple of weeks numbers have grown. Counted at least twenty on the feeding station earlier this week with around another ten or twelve perched on the electric wires nearby waiting their turn to come to the feeders.

AndrewB · #3 (**permalink**) 17-10-2009, 09:41 PM

I've also noticed a big increase in goldfinch and greenfinch activity over the past week. As this is my first year of feeding I didnt realise goldies migrated - my small readers digest bird book indicates they are resident all the year round.

I was quite looking forward to them brightening up the winter months.

Ollie · #4 (**permalink**) 17-10-2009, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewB

I was quite looking forward to them brightening up the winter months.

They don't all migrate, well at least they don't seem to around me. I still get up to a dozen at a time during the winter months. Numbers build up during spring, then tail off again as they start to breed. Then the youngsters turn up in late summer boosting numbers again.

aeshna5 · #5 (**permalink**) 18-10-2009, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewB

I've also noticed a big increase in goldfinch and greenfinch activity over the past week. As this is my first year of feeding I didnt realise goldies migrated - my small readers digest bird book indicates they are resident all the year round.

I was quite looking forward to them brightening up the winter months.

Goldfinches can be seen all year in the UK, but the situation is more complicated than that, in that many UK breeding birders migrate to France + Iberia for the winter, while we receive extra birds from northern Europe for the winter.

I think more Goldfinches stay put now, especially with the abundance of suitable feeding in gardens these days, where the number of Goldfinches in this artificial habitat has greatly increased in recent years.