Hello from Boston, MA.
There is an American goldfinch nest right in my back yard, which is adjacent to a wooded area. I think there are nestlings in it as well, as I caught a glimpse of them the other day.
In order to attract the adult goldfinches, I've hung a sock of thistle closer to my porch. Unfortunately, it has been almost a week, but the goldfinch family has shown no interest in my thistle sock. I've read somewhere that the freshness of the thistle seeds is the key to attracting goldfinches, but how would they know if the seeds are fresh or not if they don't even come close to the sock, which they haven't. I've even wondered if the nestlings have fledged fully and the whole goldfinch family has moved, but no they are still around. As a desperate measure, I've tied a piece of yellow plastic paper, as per advice of local bird retailer, to catch the attention of the goldfinches, to no avail. Some people are saying that it's really difficult to attract goldfinches to feeders at this time of year (July/August), because natural food is abundant anyway. But that hasn't stopped other birds (most notably Northern cardinals) from coming to the feeder.
Is there anything that can be done to attract these tantalizing birds to my feeder? I'd really love to see their magnificent yellow plumage from proximity.
There is an American goldfinch nest right in my back yard, which is adjacent to a wooded area. I think there are nestlings in it as well, as I caught a glimpse of them the other day.
In order to attract the adult goldfinches, I've hung a sock of thistle closer to my porch. Unfortunately, it has been almost a week, but the goldfinch family has shown no interest in my thistle sock. I've read somewhere that the freshness of the thistle seeds is the key to attracting goldfinches, but how would they know if the seeds are fresh or not if they don't even come close to the sock, which they haven't. I've even wondered if the nestlings have fledged fully and the whole goldfinch family has moved, but no they are still around. As a desperate measure, I've tied a piece of yellow plastic paper, as per advice of local bird retailer, to catch the attention of the goldfinches, to no avail. Some people are saying that it's really difficult to attract goldfinches to feeders at this time of year (July/August), because natural food is abundant anyway. But that hasn't stopped other birds (most notably Northern cardinals) from coming to the feeder.
Is there anything that can be done to attract these tantalizing birds to my feeder? I'd really love to see their magnificent yellow plumage from proximity.
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