Choosy goldfinches have expensive taste

They have done well this year and the birds have begun coming to the garden feeders again.

However, it seems that their behaviour has changed.

This has been confirmed by a number of readers too.

A few years ago, a special feeder full of tiny black Niger seed would almost guarantee goldfinches coming to feast.

The goldfinches and other species would also be drawn to sunflower seeds in their hard, black shells.

But this is no longer the case, and both plain sunflower seeds and Niger seed sit there with little attention.

The food that draws in the goldfinches is ‘sunflower hearts’ i.e. sunflower seeds that have been shelled and are both high energy and easy to eat with no effort.

This is a very expensive food too, but that doesn’t seem to worry the goldfinches as they turn up their beaks at anything else on offer.

Watching birds in the garden does provide opportunities to observe changes in behaviour over time.

Robins, for example, now feed on hanging fat-balls, something they never did before.

Prof Rotherham is researcher, writer and broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues. Email [email protected] or follow his Walk on the Wildside blog at ukeconet.org for more information.