Goldfinches (1 Viewer)

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RedKite_4

New member

• Jul 27, 2016

• #1

Hello everyone!

I have a feeding station with 4 feeders hanging up - 1 peanut, 2 for fat balls and one mixed seed. In the area I live we just get sparrows and swarms (!) of starlings visiting the station.

I have seen Goldfinches landing on our fences etc which I would love to attract and feed. I know they like Niger/Nyger seeds but would it be worth getting a Nyger feeder to put on the feeding station or is it likely that the noisy starlings would put the Goldfinches off from feeding? I have never fed Goldfinches before.

If there was somewhere else I could hang a separate Nyger feeder, I would, but sadly there isn't really anywhere.

Any advice would be much appreciated! :t:

Many thanks,
Sophie

 

The-Wanderer

Well-known member

• Jul 27, 2016

• #2

In someplaces goldfinches like nyger seeds while in others sunflower hearts are preferred. Our goldfinches fall in to the latter category.

However, it seems they like cover and natural perches as staging points.

 

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osprey123

Well-known member

• Jul 28, 2016

• #3

All ours here in South Wales seem to prefer sunflower hearts. Get loads in our garden on them.

 

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Peloquin

Active member

• Jul 31, 2016

• #4

I saw a goldfinch on our wall, first I'd ever seen in the wild, so I went out and bought a nyjer seed feeder. I filled that one with nyjer and a normal seed feeder I put a load of sunflower hearts mixed with the standard seeds.
Within 2 days we had 3 goldfinch coming each morning.
They seemed to just fit in around when the pigeons and blackbirds come.

 

The-Wanderer

Well-known member

• Jul 31, 2016

• #5

Peloquin,

If you can keep them healthy through the next winter, next breedind season you may get a few more and, after that numbers can seem to increase exponentially - so start saving for bird seed now!

 

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Peloquin

Active member

• Jul 31, 2016

• #6

Cheers Wanderer..lovely bird aren't they.
The finches are by far my favorites. I was so chuffed when a pair of Bullfinch turned up. They were at the feeders every hour, obviously feeding hard before young fledged then they simply vanished. I saw 3 young a few times, they went down to 2 then vanished. I'm hoping constant food supply will draw them back in next breeding season.

 

The-Wanderer

Well-known member

• Jul 31, 2016

• #7

We had one breeding family of bullfinches, but the male died and we have seen no more since

 

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Peloquin

Active member

• Jul 31, 2016

• #8

Hopefully some more will turn up. They were going mad for black sunflower seeds here.

 

Sandra (Taylor)

Well-known member

• Jul 31, 2016

• #9

RedKite_4 said:

Hello everyone!

I have a feeding station with 4 feeders hanging up - 1 peanut, 2 for fat balls and one mixed seed. In the area I live we just get sparrows and swarms (!) of starlings visiting the station.

I have seen Goldfinches landing on our fences etc which I would love to attract and feed. I know they like Niger/Nyger seeds but would it be worth getting a Nyger feeder to put on the feeding station or is it likely that the noisy starlings would put the Goldfinches off from feeding? I have never fed Goldfinches before.

If there was somewhere else I could hang a separate Nyger feeder, I would, but sadly there isn't really anywhere.

Any advice would be much appreciated! :t:

Many thanks,
Sophie

Click to expand...

My goldfinch love the sunflower hearts and/or niger seed