goldfinches

goldfinches

Asked on 23 Jul, 2008

not exactly a gardening question, but here goes.....it's taken 2 years to attract goldfinches into our garden , and they are feeding on NIGER SEEDS , unfortunately they are messy feeders and we now have hundreds of seed's now sprouting from our border.if i made a large flat table with a roof above , would they feed from a small dish in the centre , has anyone done this, the table would be about the same hieght as the current feeder.....steve

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Janey

23 Jul, 2008

Not sure that they would Steve, normally they feed in flocks,on thistles and dried seed heads, where they perch up the stalk to pick the seeds. If they are used to frequenting your garden maybe you could plant a small area with the type of food they like but who knows you could always try it, you'll get a good selection of all types of birds in the winter!

Wohlibuli

23 Jul, 2008

Hi Steve, I don't know if this will help you but I have the same problem, they pull seeds out and a lot of them fall to the ground, so I put a "table" sort of thing, that is actually a top less table with very fine mesh for a top underneath the feeder. They don't always use it but other birds do and when the goldfinches are a crowd some will go to it.

Grammazoo

23 Jul, 2008

The niger seed we buy over here does not sprout, as it is heat treated before retailing. You could perhaps try a low oven (120*C) for at least 15 minutes as those are the processing guidelines as per the internet ( Google ' heat treating niger seed' ). I haven't tried it myself as there has been no need, but it may work.

Steve

24 Jul, 2008

thanks for the replies, i have just purchased another bag of niger seed from a different source, so i will 'plant' some and see if they sprout, if so i will try the heat treatment recommended on google search.(thanks for the tip gramazoo)...in the mean time i have erected a tray beneath the feeder to try and catch the seed....steve

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