How to keep the goldfinches happy

Do your goldfinches sometimes leave your finch feeder alone and you don't know why? There may be no easy answer. Yellow finches are a beautiful bird but they are also very finicky. First make sure your Nyjer seed is fresh. One way to do this is to pinch the seed with your fingernails and see if any oil comes out. The finches use their bills to twist the seed and sip the oil and then drop the shell. If your seed has dried out your feeder will be skipped. (Wild Birds Unlimited receives a fresh load of seed each week).

Second, make sure your feeder is clean. These small tidy birds avoid dirty feeders.

Third, finches are notorious for leaving a tube feeder half full. Don't just top off your feeder with fresh seed. Empty the older seed (if it's still good) into a different container, fill the bottom of your feeder with new seed and top it off with the older seed. The birds will probably eat down to that certain level again and you'll have to repeat the process.

My favorite feeder is the Mesh Finch Feeder. Several birds can feed at a time, the seed airs out, it's easy to clean, easy to fill, has a lifetime guarantee, and is made in the USA. They eat from top to bottom. However if you're thinking of switching feeders be aware that finches don't like change and it may take several minutes to several months for goldfinches to accept a new feeder.

Fourth, there are a lot of natural sources available right now. These birds are vegetarians and will flock to any flowers that form seed heads like cosmos or black-eyed-susans.

Fifth, the birds are very busy right nesting in July. The American Goldfinch is one of the latest breeding songbirds, waiting until mid-to-late summer when thistle seeds and plant down are readily available to weave nests and feed the young.

Is it worth the bother? Yes! I love the happy, warm, song of the American Goldfinches. I love the huge flocks of finches that flutter down from the tops of trees as they take their turn at the feeder. I love that I can hang the feeder anywhere because squirrels and other animals don't bother with Nyjer Thistle. And once you understand the goldfinches' needs, they are easy to please and very pleasing to watch.

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