Should I take Thistle sock down? (1 Viewer)

I live on the edge of a wooded area and know there are Golden Finches in the area so I hung a thistle sock about 3 weeks about and have not seen a finch yet on it... I have a few other feeders in the area and those are hammered with Chipping and House Sparrows, Juncos, Cardinals, Mourning and White-Wing Dove, a Chickadee and every now and then a Black and White Warbler will drop in... and as of recently the Red Winged Blackbirds and Brown Headed Cowbirds have discovered my buffet, so there's no shortage of those...

Should I continue to be patient with the Finches or take them down with all the other commotion going on?

I’d leave it up. The local goldfinches should discover it eventually. . ..

fugl said:

I’d leave it up. The local goldfinches should discover it eventually. . ..

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I was wondering if I should move it to a new location since it's close to my other feeders, didn't know if those birds who scare off the finches?

txalaska12 said:

I was wondering if I should move it to a new location since it's close to my other feeders, didn't know if those birds who scare off the finches?

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No, I’d leave it where it is. In my experience, proximity to other feeders has never been a problem.

fugl said:

No, I’d leave it where it is. In my experience, proximity to other feeders has never been a problem.

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I will do that then and just give it some time. How long before that Nyger seed goes bad?

txalaska12 said:

I will do that then and just give it some time. How long before that Nyger seed goes bad?

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Good question for which I don’t have the definitive answer. People have said on BirdForum and elsewhere that it can go bad quite quickly under damp conditions but I’ve had a thistle sock in my backyard in rainy Oregon for over a month now which still gets the occasional visit from goldfinches and Song Sparrows. That said, the sock’s still half-full so the seed isn’t exactly going like hot cakes.