Wildlife: Goldfinches have grown very picky about the food they take

Goldfinch on the feeder taken by Ian Rotherham

Having been largely absent from the garden for several months the goldfinches have started visiting once more.

Several birds have been on the feeders at any one time, and small flocks (charms) have been flitting around the higher treetops in the garden and along the woodland edge close by. Interestingly, the goldfinches have grown very picky about which food they take from all that is offered.

A few years ago, presenting a feeder of tiny black niger seed in a feeder with purpose-built small holes would guarantee goldfinches coming to your garden.

They then seemed to move on to black sunflowers seeds, and now, will take nothing other than sunflower hearts which are about the most expensive bird-food on the market. However, without this expensive treat, my goldfinches simply don’t visit. One way around the issue is to grow your own flower seeds that will be attractive in summer and good for pollinating insects.

But choose flowers that also produce seeds to draw in the finches, both greenfinch and goldfinch, in the autumn. Common teasels are one of the best, but seed-bearing flowers like perennial knapweed and blue globe thistles (Echinops) are also very good. This does mean leaving flowerheads to go to seed which may be a little untidy for some gardeners, but the finches will come, and the food is free.

Another visitor which makes an occasional appearance throughout autumn and winter, and which is one of my favourite birds, is the long-tailed tit.

Two or three weeks ago I was stood on the patio at the top of the garden when I heard them arriving. Indeed, this is one of the birds which you hear before you see. The loose flocks made up of post-breeding extended family groups arrive with a melee of churring and chattering calls and a lot of disorganised flitting.

They came down into my birch tree and the hazels where they feed on the cones and catkins. First you hear two or three, then you see them and in this case, around 20 or more individuals.

Professor Ian D. Rotherham is contactable on [email protected] ; follow Ian’s blog https://ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com/