Lesser Goldfinch

Our much too warm winter returned to a more normal state today. We got a good 3 inches of snow in the city with even more in the mountains. The birds were very grateful that I had filled the feeder last night and were visiting it most of the day. I even had the quail group come visit this morning for a few minutes and I haven’t seen them for a while. They came and picked up anything that had fallen from the feeders, cooing to each other as they do. They also have kind of a chuckle noise that sounds a little like boisterous chatting.

I provide a finch feeder with nyjer seed and a hopper feeder usually full of sunflower seeds. Finches are unique among most city birds as they don’t mind standing sideways or even upside-down. Finch feeders have no perches and can be made of fabric or metal mesh.

In the US, House Finches are invasive and widespread. They will usually gather in numbers until they overwhelm bird feeders. To stop them from benefiting from my feeders I use a finch feeder, which they cannot figure out. I also regularly remove the hopper feeder for a few days (and clean it) to disperse the birds who gather at it, especially when there are more than a few House Finches. Installing a finch feeder instead of, or alongside, a hopper feeder can also improve the species variety you see.

Regularly cleaning your feeders is important to prevent disease.

Above is a Lesser Goldfinch, a regular visitor to my finch feeder.


Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

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