You can try good quality sunflower seeds. Once the Goldfinches appear then try the niger seeds. It's never too late to put out seeds they will eventually arrive.
Sooooo, I purchased a small pre filled yellow niger seed feeder today. I expect it to remain untouched but holding out a very slim hope that the goldfinches will use it and maybe even bring a siskin or two along with them 😂
I inherited my parent's home and live in it. Several years ago, due to my health problems I cut down four large maple trees, the only maples in the yard. (Could not find anyone to pick up the huge volume of leaves.) I will regret it to the day I die. Very few birds anymore. ZERO Goldfinches. I put up bird feeders last spring. Put fresh nyger seed in tubular and mesh feeders for the entire spring and summer. Never attracted ANY birds. I recall my parents couldn't afford the nyger seen the gold finches ate. The birds need cover.
Too late for you now, but actually I just now came home from birdclub lecture - by master gardner and scientist - in which importance of leaving leaves was discussed. Birds eat mostly insects. Insects need ground detritus. Nuff'said!
I was at the time, still working full time, coming home to a foot of leaves in the back yard, and apples from the apple tree that had to be removed before the yard could be mowed.
I will send you half of my Lesser Goldfinch horde. They can clean me out of 20# of nyjer seed in 3-4 days, because they have big mouths and tell every other goldfinch in the city that they eat really well. They hang out gorging themselves at least 3x a day. I am surprised they can fly and haven’t broken the sock branches.
