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Post by rowanberry on Dec 9, 2021 10:25:23 GMT
Last year at this time there were dozens, but this year they all seemed to vanish mid-Autumn.
I don't know what's happened to them, after having had a large flock come every day for a couple of years. Has anyone else noticed a reduction in goldfinches recently?
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Post by aeshna5 on Dec 9, 2021 18:02:22 GMT
Yes, I hadn't noticed any for a few days then a pair around for a couple of days. I did notice about a dozen feeding in a Grey Alder as a street tree down my road as I headed out today.
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Post by Tringa on Dec 9, 2021 22:55:22 GMT
Same in our garden.
They used to be the most common bird in the garden and sometimes the number of goldfinches would be greater than all the other birds put together.
This year the numbers have dropped away. We still get them but usually in two or threes and not that often. For a few years it would be unusual not to see a goldfinch in the garden but not this year.
Dave
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Post by ianr on Dec 10, 2021 6:56:11 GMT
Similar thing here often across the road in a sycamore tree or front of the woods in the oaks there would be anything up to 50 at a time now half a dozen is a good number. I'll keep an extra lookout to check I'd expect a few siskins too this time of year. Got loads of blackbirds, sparrows and pigeons  ian |
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Post by Tringa on Dec 10, 2021 11:02:01 GMT
I wonder if this is more widespread.
Interesting you mention the other species.
In our garden house sparrows might be the commonest bird we see now.
There are usually two or three wood pigeons and collard doves at any time, but we haven't seen a blackbird for months.
Dave
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Post by rowanberry on Dec 10, 2021 20:24:42 GMT
That's quite concerning... I wonder if it's worth contacting the British Trust for Ornithology to see what they say? It sounds as though it's not just around us then. Dave, I do recall hearing something about the decline in blackbirds not too long ago. Since our female blackbird vanished a few years ago we've not had one regularly , and I can't remember seeing one in a long time. That's not just in the garden- there haven't been any in the woods near us either.  |
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Post by Psamathe on Dec 11, 2021 16:26:21 GMT
I used to have vast numbers visiting in massive flocks (maybe swarms would have been a better word!). I think it was created artificially by my feeding and it was at the point where they were emptying (and I was refilling) a large 16 inch feeder of sunflower hearts every day! It was expensive and completely artificial so I stopped the large quantities and over time they completely disappeared and I've not seen any for several years (I still put out sunflower hearts and get robins, blue tits, etc.).
Interestingly I've also not seen any chaffinch for several years.
Several years ago I did suffer an outbreak of Trichomonosis (ZSL were doing research on the disease and I sent in a corpse for their research and they confirmed the disease). It has made sure I'm always aware of the importance of keeping feeders clean but I do fear that some people less interested in wildlife but just like to see birds on their feeder might not be so aware and could easily be creating "super-spreader" stations. Near neighbours could be inadvertently killing off your visiting birds and unless you saw a few sufferers you'd be unaware (in my case I did see some blue tits suffering and recognised, inquired, etc. but not have any sufferers immobilised in your garden and you'd might be unaware). But that would not account for their disappearance from several places around the same time.
Ian
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