Goldfinches

[frugalfred]

Today the first goldfinch of the Winter arrived to sample the niger feeder!

[frugalfred]

I have a Kent cobnut bush in the garden. The squirrels eat more of the nuts than I do. Last year, my neighbour who lives about 100 yards away found a store of my nuts (!) in his bird-house! We see the occasional magpie, but as there are neighbouring pheasant-shoots, I suspect the gamekeepers keep magpie numbers down by fair means or foul.

[paddywak]

You lucky people,all we get are the odd sparrow,starling and scrawny wood pigeon.There are just too many of those flipping four footed bird killers about.

[paddywak]

I forgot to mention we do have one bird that is a bit special a beautiful Sparrow Hawk,that perches on the TV aerial of my next door neighbour,I know it kills birds but to live,not for sport like cats do

[Ann]

We get mostly goldfinches on our 4 feeders of sunflower hearts. We bought a niger feeder and seed but they just will not touch it - so had to remove it! We also have a cheeky tame little robin who waits in the bushes until we step out of the back door, then he does a very close fly past to force us to throw some of his favourite suet pellets out and then Robbie swoops!

[Ann]

Here is one of our goldfinches who (gently) bumped into the patio door. Luckily he was just dazed and soon recovered and flew off to tell the tale .....

http://i62.tinypic.com/2eauq8k.jpg

[daginge]

When we lived in a terrace on a busy road we had a tiny enclosed yard that saw more rats than birds in the 11 years we lived there! Now we have front and rear gardens and get all sorts of avian visitors! On my best day I saw:-Gold Finches, Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tits, Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Magpies, Starlings, Sparrows and even a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. There may be people who will doubt my list but I promise sincerely I'm telling the truth. What an amazing day birding through my windows! Dry, warm and lots to see!

[Chipchopper]

A couple of years ago, I left some silver ragwort (senecio) in the ground and allowed it to go to seed.
This lucky mistake now attracts gold finches every winter!