Natural bird food for insectivores such as the Goldcrest - garden-worthy shrubs

[Deb London]

I was thrilled to watch a pair of Goldcrests foraging in full view in my garden today. They briefly concentrated on a Hypericum of some description. I'm now concerned that there isn't much there for them. I'm sure I can offer something better. I guess other insectivorous birds would benefit from any improvements too. Which shrubs/climbers would be good for them to hunt in?

Thanks.

[Kayleigh]

Hi Deb,
goldfinches love Teasel as you know.
I have bay trees that have scale incests the wasps and other insects eat them the Sparrows and Blue-tits also eat the scale.
The lavender and Rosemary have sawfly I have seen the the birds eat but I have never seen goldfinches on them I think they are more seed eaters apart from spring when feeding chicks.
Buttoned Snout is a moth that feeds on Golden Hop.
Commas also use Hops as a larval food plant I just plant what plants I like and they seem to attract the insects.
I planted 4 honeysuckle to attract moths I have lots of plants and shrubs so there is lots of cover too.
Oregano is lovely plant and had gatekeepers and skippers on in the summer.
The oxeye daisy attracted lots of insects too.
I am into macro so anything that attracts insects is worth planting I am always on the lookout for more.
I have a lot more plants to many to name here.

[Deb London]

Thanks Elaine,

Interesting. I'm not sure what Golden Hops are, but I'll look that that one up today. We found hops at volunteering and also at the other side of the town I live in, so some hops do well in the soil and climate here. Buttoned Snout - sounds cute.

Lots of other ideas. I can't get honeysuckle to grow well for some reason, I haven't seen it for a while, but I'm off into the garden now and I will see whether it's survived.

[triops]

Who is confusing Goldcrests and Goldfinches? And their diets?

[King Edward]

Hi Deb,
I don't think it matters greatly what species you plant, or whether they're native/alien. Trees/bushes in general are good for birds and invertebrates, so if you just go for ones you like (and that grow well) I don't think you can go too far wrong. Conifers are good for Goldcrests, so a mix of deciduous/evergreen species is probably a good idea.

This book: No Nettles Required is worth a read if you haven't seen it. It's based on a study of garden wildlife in Sheffield, looking at how wildlife diversity was affected by different factors - it's more about general concepts, not a detailed guide about how to build a pond/bird box etc.

[Dogghound]

Native species are better for invertebrates as more species are adapted to feeding on them and living on them especially lepidoptera larvae and aphids which make up a large portion of goldcrest diet (as well as springtails and mites).

Goldcrest tend to feed higher up in trees especially when the structure is there and move lower into the shrub layer as the winter progresses. Any species with a high aphid yeild would be a good start such as sycamore (despite it being unpopular with some people) you can't deny its value for crests, tits and warblers, however once its leaves fall birds tend to move on. Gorse is another good plant as it provides good roosting habitat as well as foraging habitat, principally for spiders and spingtails. Holly, ivy and Yew are both also good goldcrest plants.

Conifers like spruce, larch and scots pine provide good breeding habitat and larch and scots pine both supply a food source of hemiptera, larch species which drop it needles are of less winter value.

[Deb London]

Thanks for the recommendation KE.

I was told that if Firecrests are spotted at a local reserve, it is more often than not at a certain place (near gardens). I was wondering what it was about this place that they liked. I guess Goldcrests may not be the same, but I have a feeling they may like evergreens, including ivy. It'll be the conifers that brought them here in the first place. But I'm not sure more conifers are what I want to grow, they don't mix well with my other plants.

EDIT Thanks Dan, you posted as I was replying.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by triops

Who is confusing Goldcrests and Goldfinches? And their diets?

Oops...sorry....

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Deb London

I was told that if Firecrests are spotted at a local reserve, it is more often than not at a certain place (near gardens). I was wondering what it was about this place that they liked.

Firecrests are certainly much more active than goldcrests and tend to always be on the look out for food and feeding sites. They prefer more open areas (but still mainly within woodland/tallvegetation) and are more fond of deciduous species (although still quite closely linked to conifers). They tend to feed away from woodland too and are more likely to be encountered near low scrub. We had a firecrest this Auntum stay in a hedge on the coast for around five-six days. The hedge is in the middle of open farmland and is about 2 metres high and 1 metre wide. I would not of expected goldcrest to behave like this. Perhaps this niche is influencing firecrest liking the area near these gardens.

Hard to comment on the specific site as its often very complex and I have never visited it. It could be something simple like a compost heap, or increase in humidity or warmth in that particular area.

[King Edward]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Native species are better for invertebrates as more species are adapted to feeding on them and living on them especially lepidoptera larvae and aphids which make up a large portion of goldcrest diet (as well as springtails and mites).

There's really very little evidence for the view that natives support more invertebrates (in gardens). That's not to say we should be encouraging aliens in the wider countryside, but the majority of garden plants (native or alien) are perfectly good for wildlife, and support a wide range of species. I'm all in favour of planting natives, but on the basis that they're also good garden plants - gorse, for instance, is not a great garden plant. And when it comes to herbaceous plants, the range of good garden natives is rather limited.

The RHS is currently doing a trial of native vs alien garden plants (here), but I don't think there have been any results reported yet. See also this article: The RHS Plant for Bugs project

Deb,
I wasn't suggesting you should definitely plant more conifers for Goldcrests, especially if you have some already (or some nearby), but that you should choose plants as much on how well you think they'll fit in with the garden generally. If you have a good range of different species and structural diversity (trees, shrubs, perennials etc.), plus plenty of dead/decaying matter, you should get plenty of wildlife.