Nottingham RSPB
local group

Golden Charmers

We had heard about Niger seed and bought a feeder, this stood outside for several months and nothing at all visited it. The seed went mouldy. Then we had the cold snap just after Christmas and strange things started to happen, even as far as a Green Woodpecker digging in the snow on the bank behind our back garden. Jan brought home some Sunflower hearts and we put these out in an effort to help the birds through the extremely cold weather. No sooner had the hearts been put out than two Goldfinch came to the feeder. We raced out with another Niger feeder and they went on this too. Up until this time our star bird was Betty our resident female Blackcap she visited nearly every day but now she became an after thought Goldfinches were the thing!

Soon we were competing to see who could see the most Finches at any one time; it was not long before we were getting into double figures. Larger feeders were bought and the numbers continued to rise, it was not unusual for 14 or even 16 to visit at one time, they were getting through a pound of Sunflower Hearts a day.

Then the Pigeons started to help themselves to the hearts and for weeks Rick fought a running battle with them, forever inventing new baffles to keep them off the feeders, each worked for a time but the pigeons always seemed to find a way around the defences, even water pistols failed to deter the hated enemy. In the end the large feeders had to go. We decided to take them down at the end of March as all the literature on the subject said the Goldfinches would leave us around this time. But still they come and they are still as welcome as the very first time.

They are now joined by several Greenfinch and at least two pair of Chaffinch.

Goldfinch with Greenfinch and female Blackcap