where are the greenfinchs?

Normal 0 false false false

Fortunate Redwing, Janet and Brenda and so glad to hear you are seeing Greenfinches in your garden. I did see ONE, many many weeks ago in mine. Sigh. (Bristol suburbia). 

Hope there is no gobbledegook before or after this brief comment. I typed it in Word whilst waiting for the page to load.

Ever since I put up black sunflower seeds up I have had Greenfinchs. they don't seem to have times of day to feed, there is always some on one of the feeders and now I have added more feeders with sunflower seeds in.

this helps to cut down on waiting.  :-)

Hi, I had one today, he gorged himself on the peanut feeder for about five minutes.

Breaking news ... I had one today.   He arrived with a group of goldfinches and ate ordinary sunflower hearts.

I am in the middle of changing from ordinary suflower hearts to sunflower heart chips. They are what they sound like - small chips of sunflower hearts so there are no husks and no mess. Are these too small for greenfinches? I once heard they like bigger seeds they can chop up in their beaks. Anyone know?

Breaking news ... I had one today.   He arrived with a group of goldfinches and ate ordinary sunflower hearts.

I am in the middle of changing from ordinary sunflower hearts to sunflower heart chips. They are what they sound like - small chips of sunflower hearts so there are no husks and no mess. Are these too small for greenfinches? I once heard they like bigger seeds they can chop up in their beaks. Anyone know?

I posted the exact same question back in December as all of my greenfinches had disappeared.  It was suggested to me that the cause could be virus affecting the finches?  Trichomonas I think was it's name.

Trichomonas is a protozoan throat parasite. It has been a major cause of greenfinch mortality over the past few years, with most outbreaks reported in late summer and autumn. Although disease outbreaks take out a proportion of the local population, they do not make the birds disappear.

There are loads of reasons why birds of a given species do not visit gardens, which include food availability and habitat features in the general area, perhaps some distance from your garden, and routes of finch flocks. Greenfinches visit several gardens daily, flying along the same route every day, and it often takes a change of some kind to this routine before they start to explore other alternatives. Buzzard is also very right to suggest the regional movements. Even more frustrating than no greenfinches at all is when you can hear the things singing and calling in the trees, but they refuse to come down to the garden and feeders, like my greenfinches are in the habit of doing.

Hi Trochilus, my deepest sympathies - I know just how you feel as the L.T.T.s do that to me - day, after day, after day, after day.........

Edit:- And I have a Great Tit who is a wind-up merchant. Waited until nearly 5 p.m. today (too dark for a photograph) then arrived on the trellis and chirruped until I looked up and noticed it. I swear I saw it grin before it flew away!

Sue W said:

I always have Greenfinches here too, there are always about 12 feeding at one time (they eat the sunflower hearts)  and there are other queuing up, waiting their turn !!!

Does anyone know why they squabble so ?

The Goldfinches don't do it, they seem so laid back in comparison ! (they prefer the sunflower hearts to the Niger seed)

Yes, I agree - the goldfinches much prefer the sunflower hearts to the nyjer seed, given the choice, which they have!  My house sparrows are the ones who eat most of the nyjer.  I find the goldfinches do quarrel though - they fly up about 10 feet into the air squawking at each other very loudly.  (Meanwhile, other finches take their places on the feeder!). 

I've had a few greenfinches recently after a couple of years' absence.