So many goldfinches

[hairdye]

Hi
Just have to let you all know how many golfinches are feeding in my garden at the moment. I put up a large number of feeders in the summer and had a few pairs of goldfinches visit each day .
Altogether i now have 15 sunflower feeders hanging and today i counted 35 goldfinches with a few older birds and quite a lot being young ones.
This year so far has been mental for the amount of goldfinches visiting and when i went out and they all flew off there was still 10 - 20 birds in the trees that hadnt come down.
Because i work all day i dont get to see them through the week but coz its the weekend i have spent most of it watching these lovely birds.
The only downside is its costing me a sack of sunflower hearts every 2 week if not before that.
I only have a small garden so im quite impressed, do you think that they may bring siskins or redpolls with them when it gets colder later in the year . I have never had siskins or redpolls so it would be nice to see them .
cheers

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by hairdye

Hi
Just have to let you all know how many golfinches are feeding in my garden at the moment. I put up a large number of feeders in the summer and had a few pairs of goldfinches visit each day .
Altogether i now have 15 sunflower feeders hanging and today i counted 35 goldfinches with a few older birds and quite a lot being young ones.
This year so far has been mental for the amount of goldfinches visiting and when i went out and they all flew off there was still 10 - 20 birds in the trees that hadnt come down.
Because i work all day i dont get to see them through the week but coz its the weekend i have spent most of it watching these lovely birds.
The only downside is its costing me a sack of sunflower hearts every 2 week if not before that.
I only have a small garden so im quite impressed, do you think that they may bring siskins or redpolls with them when it gets colder later in the year . I have never had siskins or redpolls so it would be nice to see them .
cheers

The population is pretty much at its peak at this time of year and as it becomes colder large flocks aggrigate around feeding stations. There is a good chance they will bring siskin, and a possibility they will bring redpoll. What part of Britain do you live in? whats the surrounding habitat?

[tigertom]

Good chance they will bring in redpoll and siskins if you have them around were you are, I to am getting big No's of gold finches 20-40 at a time on feeders and on ground as well and others in the birch tree I have in garden, I normally get 1st redpolls and siskins late Dec time it great to watch how siskins bully goldfinches of feeders not easy done greenfinches don't even manage that.
MIKE

[hairdye]

I live in West Yorkshire. There is a large area of farmland that has been planted within the last 20 years with Birch, Alder and Willow that is about 1k away from me.
I walk the dog around there often but i have never seen any siskins or redpolls only a few goldfinches and ducks on the small pond.
I wish i didnt have to work instead i could watch the birds on the feeders all day long .
cheers

[tigertom]

If you have a lot of alder and birch near by no reason why you should not have siskins and redpolls near by as well of as both of these along with goldfinches feed a lot on these
MIKE

[jaelen]

That's fantastic, to have so many- and 15 feeders! It must be wonderful to sit and watch all of them.

[Cambridgeferret]

Our population has peaked at 3

But I'll keep putting the nyjer seed out - do love their colours.

[Cordaline]

I had 10 on my feeders yesterday morning with plenty more waiting their turn in the tree above.
I love these birds.
So pretty.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Cordaline

I love these birds.
So pretty.

But so bad tempered. They seem to spend more time snarling at each other rather than just getting on quietly with feeding!

Jim

[KentYeti]

Not sure how many I've got here. Either just 2 or 3 very hungry ones who eat all day. Or a lot more who take it in turns to come down to my modest two feeders. Although I now have somewhere to put a third feeder. A job for tomorrow!

Cheers,

Bryan