What are these birds?

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[C0ffin D0dger]

Goldfinches. Get a Niger seed feeder and you might get them to come to your garden.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_goldfinch

[s2kjock]

Were these often captured and caged historically?

My mother as a child I think had one for a period (60-70 odd years ago) - not something you would ever do now, but different times.

[Vanordinaire]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I watched them for hours at a time during a period of illness a couple of years ago. Very therapeutic.
After a while you'll notice how aggressive the little buggers are. If they spent half as much time eating as they do trying to stop their 'friends' getting any, they'd be twice the size.

[eybic]

s2kjock said:

Were these often captured and caged historically?

My mother as a child I think had one for a period (60-70 odd years ago) - not something you would ever do now, but different times.

Yes and they still are.

[Boosted LS1]

They've been doing well in recent years. I often have a 'charm' of goldfinches singing in the trees behind my house. Delightful songsters and as mentioned above still being caught and caged occasionally.

They frequently put a smile on my face :-)

[nickwilcock]

Very friendly little birds. One flew in through my bedroom window but was then stuck between the window and the venetian blind. It was quite happy to be scooped up and let out though!

Another comes and peers in through my study window upstairs from time to time.

[jet_noise]

C0ffin D0dger said:

Goldfinches. Get a Niger seed feeder and you might get them to come to your garden.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_goldfinch

Eating us out of house n' home!

[dingg]

still legal to have them as long as they're ringed and captive bred , make fine songsters when crossed with canarys

[popeyewhite]

Pure sunflower hearts are even better for the goldfinches and bluetits love them as well. No mess. Blackbirds groundfeed happily as well. Don't need niger seed. It's messy and rots if it falls on lawn.

[Roofless Toothless]

I have heard people recommending sunflower hearts for goldfinches, but in my experience it is always the niger seeds they go for.



I even added a dispenser for sunflower hearts on the stand, but I have not seen them eating any.

I used to get loads of them at my last house, but there were lots of birds there - I counted over 40 species either in or from my garden. Lucky to have a dozen types where I am now. There are goldfinches in the churchyard about 150 yards away, but it is hard to lure them regularly into my garden.

I am surprised they like the church. Goldfinch always sounds a bit Jewish to me ...