https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/garden-birds-populations-goldfinch-wood-pigeon-humans-feeding-a8923666.html
Who can remember like me when Goldfinches were once a rare garden bird. Looking back to my early years as a 5 year old birdwatching in 1958 though the 1960’ s I never saw one Goldfinch when out birdwatching. In fact I didn’t see my first Goldfinch until the early 1970’s. Now living in the same house since I was born in 1952, the Goldfinch is now the most common wild bird seen in my garden. On the other hand I’ve never a Greenfinch in my garden for years because of their decline. But Ive seen a lot of Greenfinches in recent years in woodland and at my local. Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve bon a regular basis. There are RSPB remembers longer than me on this community forum who should remember how rare the Goldfinch was as a Garden Bird at one time. My first sighting of a Goldfinch was not anctually until 1972 in woodland up in Northumberland. Link above about the Goldfinch and how rare the Goldfinch was once in gardens was in the UK at one time. One of the reason was that was, was the limited choice of the more specialised wild bird food was very limited and very difficult to find buy during the 1950’s/1960’s decades unlike now with a lot more choice of bird food easily able buy.. You could get the more specialised bird food back in the decades 1950’s/1960’s, but the more specialised wild bird food was a lot more difficult to find and buy and not available on a regular basis and a lot more difficult to find and bye.
Regards,
Ian.
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