The Goldfinch

Hi! Today's post is about- I think- one of our most beautiful birds: the goldfinch, or carduelis carduelis, to give it its proper name. This vibrant bird has a bright red face, white breast, light brown back and black wings streaked with a yellow that is almost neon. It has many other names, such as goldie, gold linnet,redcap and (possibly most confusingly) King Harry!

Because they are so beautiful and have such a delightful song, goldfinches have been hunted throughout history, mainly for pets. However, there is one weird story I have managed to find. Goldfinches tend to feed off thistles, using there well-evolved beaks to pluck thistle down to line their nests. Hunters picked up on this and some, I guess as some kind of training, forced captive birds to pull intricate strings to drag bowls of water towards them in order to drink.

Fortunately, nowadays goldfinches are much better protected and it is illegal to hunt them. They are also thriving, and this story about my personal experience with these beautiful birds shows.

During lockdown, there has been much less traffic and noise from the cars and buses that usually take up the roads. This has had an amazing effect on birds and wildlife. Me and my family started seeing goldfinches in the streets near my house. They would perch on the telegraph poles and sing. We desperately wanted them in our garden; but how to do it?

After some research, we decided to switch the bird feed in our feeders. We bought a new kind- sunflower seed hearts. We waited. Nothing. Then, last week ( as mentioned) we went camping for the weekend. The goldfinches took advantage of the momentary peace and quiet and flocked the garden! The day we came back we saw 4, also called a charm (the collective noun for a group of goldfinches. Recently we have even spotted some babies!

Now they are a regular sight and we all laugh with joy when we hear their bubbly song. I would like to encourage anyone to try and attract birds to their garden because they are such magical creatures. Even if you don't have a garden, what about encouraging a friend or popping round to your local park and seeing what comes? You never know what might turn up!

👋 Bye!