Until recently, I was a very sad birding enthusiast. I had a few bird feeders in my backyard, but all they seemed to attract with our birdseed were non-colorful blackbirds and morning doves. So I did some reading on attracting goldfinches to your yard and hoped for the best.
A goldfinch perched on the thistle seed sock feeder in my home’s backyard.
That was until I purchased a very simple and inexpensive netted sock bird feeder (“thistle sack”) from a local grocery store. Filled with nyjer/thistle seed, the sock attracted beautiful black and yellow Eastern Goldfinches (New Jersey’s state bird) to my backyard daily. Now, when I feed the birds, it looks like there are wild canaries flocking to my backyard, since the goldfinches are so colorful.
The great part about the new finch feeder in my backyard is that the other birds that had been frequenting our feeders — like crows and morning doves — ignore the new sock feeder, allowing the finches to feed in peace.
Now, my daughters love to watch the goldfinches feed as the children eat breakfast each morning.
Landscaping for Finches and Other Birds
I’ve recently learned that finches love the tops of dandelions, so I guess our relatively ungroomed backyard is an attraction to the birds. I’ve also read that finches loves the tops of marigolds, so I may be planting some of those to further attract the feathered beauties to my home’s backyard.
Check out the New England Birdhouse blog for more tips on “going for the gold” and attracting finches and other birds to the backyard. Happy birding!
