Whatbird.com

Hi, I'm new, and a novice bird lover.  I have several feeders in my yard, and have been able to attract anything from cardinals, doves, blue jays, to sparrows, house finches, and even an occassional yellow bellied woodpecker.  Once in a while I will see a hawk, who likes to prey on the littler birds.  I live in southwest Florida, about an hour away from Tampa.  I would like to know if i would even see goldfinch here, as all the stores in the area sell the niger bags that are supposed to attract them.  I have had no success.  I also have not had any luck with humming birds which are supposed to show up in the fall in my area.  I even planted a honeysuckle vine in the hopes of attracting them, but no luck.  Can anyone tell me if there is anything different I can put out, or do to attract goldfinch?  The most exciting thing to happen at my feeders lately is someone's lost or set free budgie had visited for a few days, but I fear he may have fallen victim to the hawk, or the neighbor's cat.  Any advice?

 

Goldfinches may come to your area in the winter, but they will not be very gold as their winter plumage is brown, black, white and gray with some gold. We are also disappointed here in Texas with their winter plumage.

Go to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Goldfinch

 to read all about them.

 

 

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lap

I'm in Northeastern Florida (Jacksonville) and have had some great visitors in my garden. Like you, the majority are the house finch & sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, doves, pigeons...as well as tufted titmouse, pine warblers, ruby kinglets...and some others. In the early spring I have the goldfinch, which are just starting to get their breeding plumage...so yes, you should see them as well. I have the thistle socks hanging, and that's exactly where they go, although they have used the tube feeders with the regular wild seed in them. They also love the huge sunflowers...the actualy flower...they'll spend a good deal of time on them.

As for the hawks...yeah, they'll show up as well....and as much as I love seeing them, I know they're snagging the smaller birds...

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"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
Immanuel Kant