The American Goldfinch

When one thinks about "hot" birding spots around Omaha, some of the places that come to mind are Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods.  But another often overlooked area with a surprising variety of bird life is Mandan Park.  In the years since I moved to Omaha, near the Mandan Park area, I have encountered a number of birds that I was never even aware of until I became a birdwatcher, and almost all of them nest in or near the Mandan Park forest.

One of the first birds I set out to lure to my feeders was the American Goldfinch.  A neighbor of mine had told me they were around, but I had never seen one, and thus began reading about how to lure them into my yard, what they liked to eat, and so forth.  Below is some of the hard-earned knowledge I picked up from

Male and Female Goldfinch (photo by SCB)

books, magazines and actual experience that enabled me to see them not just occasionally, but on a daily basis.

Seed
Any publication about birds with information about goldfinches will immediately inform you that one of their favorite seeds is Nyjer Thistle.  This is available at any birding store, hardware stores and even grocery stores (although it tends to  be a bit expensive).  Since it comes in a large bag, it's best to store it in a dry place (the birds will not eat it when it gets wet, because it will mold).  Another recommended favorite is sunflower hearts, but I have learned that putting out sunflower hearts for goldfinches is a wasted endeavor...primarily because house sparrows will eat it all before the goldfinches ever get a chance to get near it.  House sparrows will bully other smaller birds away from feeders, and since goldfinches tend to be a little shy, they won't, for the most part, even bother to try.  Thistle is another favorite of house sparrows, so a feeder has to be selected with care.

Finch Feeders
There are a wide variety of finch feeders, many of which I have purchased, with holes that are supposedly only big enough for the finches to get the food from.  I say supposedly because sparrows will eventually figure out how to worm the seed out, whether the holes are supposedly too small for them or not.  In this scenario, once again, they will eat all of the thistle and/or bully the finches so that they will be afraid to come to the feeder.  I found the perfect solution to this by accident.  In addition to the regular sized feeders for thistle seed, there are small tubes you can purchase in bird and hardware stores with very small perches that only a bird of the goldfinch's size can balance on.  When a feeder of this type is used, the sparrows simply cannot perch on it, and therefore, the bullying stops.  The feeders are not supposed to be refillable, but they are...you just have to pry loose the top, fill it, and then fasten it tightly before you hang it back up.

Female Goldfinch (photo by SCB)

Incidentally, the goldfinches drop enough seed that there is plenty for the sparrows, too, so they really aren't missing out on anything.

Attracting Goldfinches
When I bought my first finch feeder, I though the goldfinches would immediately appear, but they had a harder time finding it than I had anticipated.  What I did to attract them to it (which worked very well) was plant sunflowers by it.  Goldfinches will land on sunflowers to pick the seeds out when they are ready to harvest, and they are easy to lure in with this plant.  Another plant they are extremely fond of is the purple cone flower.

The good thing is that once they find a feeder, they tend to return to it year after year, especially if you can ensure that they will not be bullied by sparrows.

Do you have a another tip for attracting/feeding goldfinches? If so, please share it by posting a comment.