RXwildlife Sightings

There can be little doubt that the introduction of the nyger seed feeder has had a dramatic impact on the numbers of goldfinch using gardens.  This is shown clearly by the graphs on the BTO Garden Birdwatch website which shows a clear trend in increased numbers of this bird over the past 15 years. At the start of 1996 they were recorded in just over 10% of the gardens participating in this monitoring scheme. Today the figure stands at over 60% of gardens

What a success story for this beautiful bird, and other colourful species like siskin and the lesser redpoll that also flock to these feeders in our garden in late winter. However, I have to say that the experience of watching goldfinches sitting on a perch feeding does not compare with the spectacle of a family, or a charm of goldfinches, feeding on living plants.  This was brought home to me as I watched a small group of birds delicately picking out seeds as they balanced on the stems of Verbena bonariensis today, and one of my New Years resolutions is to encourage these birds to feed like this in my garden this summer by planting Cosmos (I forgot to sow seed of this plant last year).  In my experience, this is the best way to bring these birds into a garden, apart from nyger feeders, and is a particularly enjoyable spectacle in late summer.

Posted in Birds, Gardens | by Brian Banks