The breeding season is well behind us and the birds are preparing for winter. They no longer need small, individual territories to provide for the young so have banded together into flocks and seek out good sources of food. At Saltholme we have rather more thistles than we would like but they do attract large charms of Goldfinches at this time of year - look for them along the Kestrel Trail by the Jubilee Mound, or at one of our feeding stations.
Equally the Greenfinches are in evidence, being particularly fond of rose hips which we have lots of in the Wildlife Garden on the Rosa glauca bushes.
When we open the reserve in the morning the garden is full of Greenfinches eating the hips, they then fly to the trees by the Visitor Centre feeders. The hips in the centre of the photo show where the birds have been eating.
The Greenfinches will frequently visit garden feeders but in recent years have suffered from a parasite which infests the oesophagus (gullet) - causing Trichomoniasis (aka Trichononosis) - so affecting feeding. Because of this it is essential that bird feeders are cleaned frequently to remove the Trichomonad parasite. If possible change feeding stations occasionally. Rest assured this is not the same Trichomonad that causes human gynaecological disease so no special precautions are needed.
Peter