Niger Seeds (2 Viewers)

[Biscuitman]

Hi everyone
Just a quick one about bird feeders again.
I bought some new Bird Feeders in January and the birds were reluctant at first but now use them all the time.
However I had an existing Niger Seed feeder which attracted mainly Golfinches and Siskins pretty regularly, but they seems to have deserted it completely.
I haven't seen one for a few months now - any idea why they've deserted a regularly visited feeder?

 

[Green Sandpiper]

Hi everyone
Just a quick one about bird feeders again.
I bought some new Bird Feeders in January and the birds were reluctant at first but now use them all the time.
However I had an existing Niger Seed feeder which attracted mainly Golfinches and Siskins pretty regularly, but they seems to have deserted it completely.
I haven't seen one for a few months now - any idea why they've deserted a regularly visited feeder?

Hi Biscuitman,

Never had much success with nyjer seeds. I have noticed that my other feeders seem to get different species on a cyclical basis, with only a few 'perennials' that can be relied on. It might just be a case of whats kicking about in your area at present; I'm a goldfinch- free zone just now myself, but I've seen and heard them on my wanderings around the local area.

 

[Biscuitman]

Interesting, I used to get Bullfinch, Greenfinch and Chaffinch on a regular basis a number of years ago but now only see the occasional Chaffinch.
Even had a Sparrowhawk and a Merlin land on my lawn a few years ago - not a very big garden either.
The Nyjer seeds seem to be a bit hit and miss, but I'll persevere in the hope that they come back in the spring.

 

[willisoften]

Same thing here, I bought a nyjer seed feeder back in October, and a first Goldfinches were regular visitors catching on to it very quickly.
Now I see them rarely if at all. Blue tits, and coal tits seem to delight in the niger seed (spelling?). As for disappearing species Greenfinches, Siskins and Chaffinches were regular garden visitors now they've disappeared completely. We have more sparrows and dunnocks appearing than we've had for years. Sparrows were almost a plague in the seventies. This year we had blackcaps. A bird I never even saw in the warmer months.

When we had cherry trees we had bullfinches.
The bats I watched in the late summer evenings with my father over Port on the summer seat are long gone too. And the hedgehogs that ate out of the dogs bowl have left us as well. Lord I'm maudling.

 

[KC Foggin]

I never had much luck using Nyjer seed so I stopped using it.

 

[Gander]

I used to get Goldfinch and Siskin on Niger seed feeders at my last house. When I moved 8 years ago, the finches stopped coming to the feeders, and my new house is less than quarter of a mile from the old. The reason? House Sparrows. I have a resident flock in a small Willow tree in the corner of the garden. Their presence seems to put off the finches.

Of course there could be another reason. Lots of Goldfinch seem to end up in flocks along the coast during winter. A bit warmer there for them. It may be winter weather and seasonal movement that has produced your lack of feeder visitors.

 

[John Nihon]

From zero to six Goldfinches since putting out Sunflower Hearts (very popular!) and also Nyjer seeds. We have 3 regular daily Goldfinches but on a good day up to 6 queuing for their turns.

 

[burnie]

My feeders have had fat balls, sunflower seeds and nyger seed in them all winter, all have been eaten, Gold and Green finches feed on the Nyger daily, close to the other feeders that have Sparrows and Starlings feed on the adjacent ones, Sparrow Hawks visit almost daily(at least I see them several times a week). The feeders at hides in the region all include Nyger, Siskins in particular feed on them along with Redpolls.

 

[etudiant]

Niger seems to be very prone to mould, which is apparently very offputting to the finches and such that eat it.
It is prudent to empty the feeder completely and wash it with bleach at perhaps monthly intervals.
A full nyjer feeder just means 'food rejected by everyone'.

 

[PastelArtist]

Never tried niger seeds but at the end of last year, as well as the usual nuts and fat balls, I started putting out sunflower seed hearts. The birds love them. Previously only saw the odd goldfinches and bullfinches outside the garden but now they can't keep away. Have to fill up the sunflower seed feeder every day as also the great tits, blue tits, pidgeons, collared doves and 'pesky' squirrels eat them as well.

 

[Biscuitman]

Just sent off for some Sunflower Hearts so I'm going to give them a go .
Using Amazon at the moment but can't decide what to get in the mixed seeds varieties - reviews very mixed and mostly from before 2020 so don't trust them.