Greenfinches

I live in a South London leafy Borough in a road lined with huge trees but it is also very developed with many blocks of flats. The last few weeks I have noticed a large flock of Greenfinches turn up, there is approximately 50 birds, I've attached a photo of some of them in one of our huge trees. I've lived here for 10 years and never seen a Greenfinch here before (we are lucky to have so many different birds but never Greenfinches). I've noticed they have decided to nest in a tree in our courtyard for the first time, at 5pm the tree is alive with fluttering of so many birds settling down for the night, it's amazing. My question is: is it usual for such a large flock of Greenfinches to change nesting sites? 

  • It doesn't look like nesting but more like roosting, ie somewhere to spend the night. Finches often form large roosts and some are used for prolonged periods but others can change from day to day. So, enjoy while it lasts!
  • The picture is just one I took of them gathering in that tree but not the one they are nesting in. The nesting tree is an evergreen and has about 20 nests in it but it's so dense you can only see the nests standing underneath it. Do they change nesting sites yearly or do you think perhaps their previous nest site may have been destroyed?