The maximum count for Goldfinches this winter at my feeding station was 36
individuals present at one given time. I only have one 8-port thistle
feeder and a small hopper feeder filled with black oil sunflower seed, so
most of the Goldfinches were eating seed on the ground below the feeders or
were waiting/fighting for an open spot at the feeders. When temperatures
dropped below zero, they fed almost exclusively on the sunflower seeds,
presumably because they could expend less energy in order to quickly
increase their caloric intake. A flock of about 20 visited daily, with
numbers increasing right before and then when a storm occurred. While
watching them during these "feeding frenzies," I was wishing that I was
still involved in bird banding so I could track how many, if any, return
next year and how many are locals. I'd be delighted to discuss a more
formal study here if anyone wants to do one. It will be interesting to see
the high count next winter. I may go broke buying seed... haha

Now the high count has dropped to six, and they spend about the same amount
of time at both feeders. (These are probably my neighborhood Goldfinches.)

Judy Hochadel
Champion Twp, Trumbull County

On Wed, Apr 15, 2015 at 7:44 PM, Carole Babyak <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I had 15 - 20 Goldfinch most of the winter.   They left when the Coopers
> Hawk dove into the feeding area
>
> in February, but have returned.    Funny thing is I had bought a new
> thistle sox for them (end of Jan.) and moved the thistle
>
> tube feeder to a shepherd hook.  The winter Goldfinches continued to feed
> from the tube feeder and only
>
> Chickadees investigated the sox.      When they started to get flecks of
> gold several Goldfinches were on the sox
>
> and they continue to feed from the sox and the tube feeder.
> Conclusion could be that the Goldfinches move
>
> around and the ones I have now were not the ones I had in Jan &
> Feb......or as they became gold they became
>
> more inquisitive, daring ......      or perhaps the winter Goldfinches had
> never seen a sox and it took new comers
>
> to recognize it and then everyone fed from it.???             I may have
> more now because they are on the sunflower
>
> feeders as well as the thistle,  and the males are gold  so more
> noticeable.         Birds are Great.
>
> Carole Babyak  Trumbull Co. Howland Twp.
>
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