Between November 2015 and February 2016 an amazing 5,183 households across Britain and Ireland took part in our Goldfinch Feeding Survey to help us determine what it is about our gardens Goldfinches are attracted to. With households seeing an average of eight Goldfinches at a time, the survey highlighted the fact that the population of this colourful bird has been increasing in gardens and is now reported by 70% more Garden BirdWatch participants than 20 years ago.
Methods
Participants were asked to record the numbers and behaviour of Goldfinches visiting their gardens during the survey period, which extended across the 2015/16 winter. In addition to recording the date and time of each observation, participants were asked to note whether the birds were feeding and, if so, on what. Multiple observations could be submitted by each observer across the study period.
Results
The preliminary results reveal that Goldfinches appear to prefer feeding on the supplementary food that we provide to the natural foods available in gardens. Sunflower hearts were overwhelmingly the preferred option, with nyjer seed coming second. Where natural foods were taken, Teasel and thistles were often the favourites.
Outputs and outcomes
As the number of Goldfinches visiting gardens continues to grow, these findings will inform further BTO research into whether their use of bird foods is driving the increase in their national population. The new information gathered in this survey will be extremely important in helping us discover the answer, when combined with long-term data from the BTO’s weekly Garden BirdWatch project.