Does anybody have a huge abundance of finches this year? I have never had this many! I have two feeder socks and a large feeder with black oil sunflower seeds and they are completely covered by finches all day. Most are American Goldfinches but I have a few Purple Finches too. Not only do they cover the feeders but I have two PM racks without gourds yet and they cover completely. That's 12 arms!!! It is amazing to see and I was just wondering if anyone has more than usual this year also.
Connie
Finches
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Connie
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:05 pm
- Location: WALKER, LOUISIANA
- Martin Colony History: Had my site up to 22 gourds of which most (+/-3) stayed occupied.
Downsized to 17 gourds due to back surgeries. Had 14 families in 2017 but did not do nest checks due to health. Feeling better in 2018 and hoping for a good year.
Connie
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Glynn B - LA
- Posts: 320
- Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:59 pm
- Location: Louisiana West Monroe
Yes! I have around one hundred at our feeders right now. They just love the sunflower seeds.
We also mix suet for bluebirds, nut hatch, wood peckers and many other species.
They all seem to eat much more when it's cold like today.
We also mix suet for bluebirds, nut hatch, wood peckers and many other species.
They all seem to eat much more when it's cold like today.
2019 26 pair 116 fledged
2018 20 pair 76 fledged
2017 19 pair 82 fledged
2016 13 pair 48 fledged
2015 3 pair 13 fledged
2014 1 pair 4 fledged
2013 2 pair 6 fledged
2012 0 pair
2011 0 pair
I don’t have the perfect site. One open flyway with trees within 80 ft. I do have a small pond they utilize during the heat of Summer. (2017) HEAVY HAWK PREDATION
2018 20 pair 76 fledged
2017 19 pair 82 fledged
2016 13 pair 48 fledged
2015 3 pair 13 fledged
2014 1 pair 4 fledged
2013 2 pair 6 fledged
2012 0 pair
2011 0 pair
I don’t have the perfect site. One open flyway with trees within 80 ft. I do have a small pond they utilize during the heat of Summer. (2017) HEAVY HAWK PREDATION
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Peggy Riley
- Posts: 885
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:21 pm
- Location: TX/Tolar
Connie you must have all of mine! I only have about a tenth of my usual birds like Goldfinch and white-crown sparrows. But I've been feeding a huge flock of male red wing blackbirds! They showed up in Nov and are still here.
PMCA Member
2017 101 pair
2017 101 pair
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DornCounty
- Posts: 2169
- Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
- Location: Rural SE Kansas
- Martin Colony History: .
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Trio-Jedi
had as many as 35 at my feeder.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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Connie
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:05 pm
- Location: WALKER, LOUISIANA
- Martin Colony History: Had my site up to 22 gourds of which most (+/-3) stayed occupied.
Downsized to 17 gourds due to back surgeries. Had 14 families in 2017 but did not do nest checks due to health. Feeling better in 2018 and hoping for a good year.
Sorry Peggy, LOL, wish I could send you some, they are eating me out of house and home! But those red wing blackbirds will do the same thing and even worse run the poor little song birds off. They are beautiful but I consider them partial pests, only because they are so greedy. 
Connie
I also have more finches this year also. In My area they like Guizotia abyssinicay. They are butt to beak all over the foot long socks I have in the front and back. When I put songbird seed out in the other feeders some almost refuse to leave the sock until I get within foot or two from them.
I also enjoy the squabbles over prime real estate on the socks. All bark and no bit!
My songbirds have going through so much seed I may have to get lone to continue feeding them at seed prices this year
I also enjoy the squabbles over prime real estate on the socks. All bark and no bit!
My songbirds have going through so much seed I may have to get lone to continue feeding them at seed prices this year
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Connie
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:05 pm
- Location: WALKER, LOUISIANA
- Martin Colony History: Had my site up to 22 gourds of which most (+/-3) stayed occupied.
Downsized to 17 gourds due to back surgeries. Had 14 families in 2017 but did not do nest checks due to health. Feeling better in 2018 and hoping for a good year.
LOL, I love your description RC, I may have to use that one. It definitely describes my finches/feeders too. That finch food is sooo expensive. I may have to mortgage my house between bird feed and Martin housing. But that's OK, I rather spend my money on my birds more than almost anything else, except maybe groceries.
Connie
Connie
Connie
I wondered if anybody would catch that. They are so funny to watch. One gets to close to the other or eye contact is made and the squbble is on.
I got to go get me another 10 lb. bag of nyjer seed. They go through sock full in about 4 days here.
Guizotia abyssinicay --Common names include: noog/nug (Ethio-Semitic ኑግ nūg); ????, nyger, nyjer, or ???? seed; ramtil or ramtilla; inga seed; and blackseed.
I got to go get me another 10 lb. bag of nyjer seed. They go through sock full in about 4 days here.
Guizotia abyssinicay --Common names include: noog/nug (Ethio-Semitic ኑግ nūg); ????, nyger, nyjer, or ???? seed; ramtil or ramtilla; inga seed; and blackseed.
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barry resvick
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:07 pm
- Location: Alberta/Didsbury
- Martin Colony History: 2010 we had just one sy male all summer
2011 we had the same male come back but eventually brought home a female and had five eggs but were infertile
2012 we had our first two chicks but lost them
2013 we fledged six and had two pair
2014 we fledged 13 from four pairs
2015 we fledged 24 from 6 pairs
Connie!
We live on a farm and we have had one of thoe cylindrical tube feeder for a few years now and we mainly feed niger to the finches.Our feeder holds about ten cups of food and last spring we were having to fill it every day and a half.Iv never seen that many before in my life.The perches were full all day long.We finally had to start filling it only once every three days or they would have eaten us out of house and home.
We live on a farm and we have had one of thoe cylindrical tube feeder for a few years now and we mainly feed niger to the finches.Our feeder holds about ten cups of food and last spring we were having to fill it every day and a half.Iv never seen that many before in my life.The perches were full all day long.We finally had to start filling it only once every three days or they would have eaten us out of house and home.
2010______2 visitors
2011______1asy male 3 visitors
2012______1 pair,possibly2(5 infertile eggs)
2013______2 pair,5infertile eggs,4hatched,0 fledged
2014______3 pair,Fledged 13
2011______1asy male 3 visitors
2012______1 pair,possibly2(5 infertile eggs)
2013______2 pair,5infertile eggs,4hatched,0 fledged
2014______3 pair,Fledged 13
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Dave Reynolds
- Posts: 2444
- Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:35 pm
- Location: Little Hocking, Oh.
- Martin Colony History: Satellite Site “Oxbow Golf Course”..
2018 - 15 Pair, 36 Fledged
2019 - 26 Pair, 97 Fledged
2020 - 30 Pair, 137 Fledged
2021 - 30 Pair, 144 Fledged
2022 - 27 Pair, 125 Fledged
2023 - 31 Pair, 130 Fledged
2024 - 41 Pair, 198 Fledged
2025 - 44 Pair, 168 Fledged
Home Site "Little Hocking, Ohio".
2019 - 1 Pair, 5 Fledged
2020 - 1 Pair, 4 Fledged
2021 - 8 Pair, 36 Fledged
2022 - 13 Pair, 46 Fledged
2023 - 16 Pair, 84 Fledged
2024 - 22 Pair, 104 Fledged
2025 - 28 Pair, 83 Fledged
Connie -- We have many Finches. I thought they went South for the Winter, but I was wrong. They are here all year long, just not as colorful in the Winter months. I call them my little "Pigs" because they will not stop eating. If I put out five cups of food or twenty five cups they will eat until it all gone. So now I only feed them two cups a day in the Winter and slow down in the summer.
Dave
Dave
PMCA Member
Little Hocking, Ohio
Little Hocking, Ohio
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Connie
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:05 pm
- Location: WALKER, LOUISIANA
- Martin Colony History: Had my site up to 22 gourds of which most (+/-3) stayed occupied.
Downsized to 17 gourds due to back surgeries. Had 14 families in 2017 but did not do nest checks due to health. Feeling better in 2018 and hoping for a good year.
It's never crossed my mind to not feed them as much, good idea. 
Usually they start arriving in early January and they just stay a week or so then they are gone, so the amount I spend on them is limited. But this year they are not only more plentiful but have been here longer than ever. This year, even as as I watch, they are starting to get more yellow every day. Very seldom do I get to see one all yellow with a black cap before they leave. What I don't understand is the map of where they live. The code shows blue down in Louisiana which means winter (non-breeding). Then it shows green all across mid US and they call that year-round. Finally it shows tan all across northern US and they call that summer(breeding). So, to me it looks as is they come down here where it's warmer in the winter then move up north in the summer after it warms up there. Wouldn't that be called migration? They show migration as yellow but there is not yellow on the map for finches. So why do they just show three different areas and not call it migration?
This is my last finch comment, I promise. I know this is a PM's forum LOL and that is truly my love of the bird world. I have just always been curious about the coming and goings of the finches and with it so crazy this year I am really curious.
Usually they start arriving in early January and they just stay a week or so then they are gone, so the amount I spend on them is limited. But this year they are not only more plentiful but have been here longer than ever. This year, even as as I watch, they are starting to get more yellow every day. Very seldom do I get to see one all yellow with a black cap before they leave. What I don't understand is the map of where they live. The code shows blue down in Louisiana which means winter (non-breeding). Then it shows green all across mid US and they call that year-round. Finally it shows tan all across northern US and they call that summer(breeding). So, to me it looks as is they come down here where it's warmer in the winter then move up north in the summer after it warms up there. Wouldn't that be called migration? They show migration as yellow but there is not yellow on the map for finches. So why do they just show three different areas and not call it migration?This is my last finch comment, I promise. I know this is a PM's forum LOL and that is truly my love of the bird world. I have just always been curious about the coming and goings of the finches and with it so crazy this year I am really curious.
Connie