Hulled sunflower gives higher caloric value for less work as it doesn't have to be cracked to be eaten. I think your birds have just gotten smarter, that's all.
Cheers, Chip Clouse Lakewood On Mon, May 29, 2023, 2:13 PM Jim Tyler <[email protected]> wrote: > Birders - > > I’ve noticed a change in Goldfinch (both American and Lesser) behavior > over the past 6 years or so. > > I live in Roxborough Village, and going back 5-6 years, we had a dramatic > increase in the numbers of Goldfinches. Two foot-tall mesh thistle feeders > would be covered with a dozen Goldfinches each, with easily a dozen or more > waiting to feed. It was normal for them to consume 1/2 to 2/3 of the seed > from each feeder daily. > > Local populations crashed roughly 3-4 years ago, with almost no > Goldfinches showing up at my feeders. Oddly, at that time, I noticed that > the remaining Goldfinches had gravitated to my (shelled) sunflower seed > feeders. This continued for a roughly 3 years, with only one or two > Goldfinches showing up at a time. > > So far, this seemed normal as populations shift, and Goldfinches are known > to eat sunflowers, but they were completely ignoring my thistle feeders. > > This year has brought more Goldfinches - as many as 10 at a time - but the > unusual thing is that they ALL are eating sunflower seeds and ALL ignoring > my thistle feeders. > > I dumped all my older seed and have completely refilled my thistle feeders > twice, and have moved one to the front yard, but the Goldfinches continue > to eschew my thistle feeders and in both front and back yards now > exclusively eat sunflower seeds. > > At the same time, House Finches are also ignoring my thistle feeders. > > While it’s possible I’ve purchased a bad or old batch of thistle, I’d like > to think that the bird supply retailer I use hasn’t received bad seed. > > So my question to the group is whether anyone else is seeing Goldfinches > at their feeders refusing to eat thistle? > > Thanks! > > Jim Tyler > > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include > bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate > * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/e95e7795-c4f8-42d5-6a96-98eedc5be7bb%40comcast.net > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/e95e7795-c4f8-42d5-6a96-98eedc5be7bb%40comcast.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAPHVJeiFjxxg9MhUCiDDJ%2B16PQ5QBFZWtsStFdHcB0Ag_h2noA%40mail.gmail.com.
