Greenfinches

[paul b]

A couple singing in Great Knowley this a.m. -noted because they have been infrequent, almost rare, visitors to my garden feeding stations this winter

[Neil Southworth]

One was singing near us this morning when I went out for a paper. Similarly, I've not had one in the garden this winter.

[Joyce Riley]

Like Neil and Paul B, I haven't recorded Greenfinches at all in my garden this winter and even Chaffinches not seen since mid January. Listened specifically for both species when in my garden this weekend and neither species heard. However getting up to 4 Bullfinches daily!

[Leonard Poxon]

I live on the Great Knowley estate and get Greenfinches on my feeders every day, 4 quite regularly with a maximum of 10 so far this winter. Goldfinches however have been much scarcer with some weeks no sightings at all.

[Keith Woan]

Len, considering we live so close to each other I seldom get Greenfinches but can get up to 30 Goldfinches.

[Joyce Riley]

It would be interesting to know what food the birds are eating. I only put out sunflower hearts these days as peanuts eaten so infrequently they go mouldy. Also no food put on the ground by me as attracts rats but the Coal Tits in particular 'eat one discard one'

[paul b]

Interesting thread.
Our garden is right next to the long disused and now quite thickly wooded "Cherry Tree" line so probably "semi urban".
We have two feeding areas- one quite open and not as popular as the other which has shrubs and apple trees as shelter. We don't thankfully have predatory cats around so the birds like the short gaps between cover and stations -though the sparrowhawks patrol regularly ! -and there are occasional casualties.
Re Joyce's comment on food preferences -all visitors love sunflower hearts above anything, followed by fat balls/suet nibbles, seed mix, and finally peanuts. I've started putting out crushed peanuts to see what they think of that.
Finally the finches rank order is goldfinch, chaffinch,bullfinch,siskin, greenfinch, lesser redpoll -with the first two every day, and the others about once a week on average.

[Leonard Poxon]

My house backs onto the former quarry with only one or two tall trees in neighbour's gardens. My main feeding station is in the front garden next to a leylandii hedge but with a tall birch tree close by. More often than not the finches (Green, Gold, Siskin and Chaffinch) fly in from the front from other urban gardens on the estate into the birch tree or an adjacent cherry tree and then onto the feeders. The exception is the Bullfinches and very occasional Lesser Redpolls (none yet this year) which come from the rear along the hedge line.

I feed sunflower kernels in the suspended feeders, mixed seed on a tray, fat balls, suet 'sausages', ground up peanuts in a peanut feeder(sparingly as they soon go off) with some raisens sprinkled with some sunflower kernels on the floor for the Blackbirds, Thrushes etc. I also supply a bowl of water.

Of the smaller birds the Most frequent visitors are the resident House Sparrow flock. I get very few Chaffinch and the occasional Bullfinch or two. Siskin are also infrequent visitors with one female visiting on 3 occasions this winter. One year I had a flock of 30+.

[Keith Woan]

I use mixed black sunflower & sunflower hearts in suspended feeders - hearts always first to go (blue, great, coal and l.t. tits, nuthatch, goldfinch, lesser redpoll, siskin and bullfinches).
Mixed black sunflower, sunflower hearts and grated cheese on suspended trays and ground tray (chaffinches and robins) - cheese immediately devoured by starlings with any scraps taken by magpies.
Nijer seed for goldfinches and lesser redpoll (last winter very well used but this winter hardly touched at all with the goldfinches and lesser redpoll taking sunflower seeds instead although all feeders are on the same pole.
Fat balls and fat cake taken by tits, magpies, starlings, g.s.pecker, crows (though the crows struggle) and jays.
Peanuts taken by tits, g.s.pecker, nuthatch and occasional chaffinch and like Len a few raisins on the ground for blackbirds and the very occasional thrush.
I don't see greenfinches very often although I had 3 in on Sunday.

[paul b]

Two singing in Great Knowley trees today

[MarkF]

Greenfinches rare here by the old Gillibrand Arms, Goldfinch very common in small flocks along with similar numbers of long tailed tits and sparrows most days. Jays frequent this month, and several dunnock always around. Can't remember when I last saw a nuthatch or GSW (or a parakeet for that matter!)