HELP! Is this niger seed bird-feeder fit for purpose?

[Ian]

I have had this niger seed bird-feeder for some time but it didn't work in the garden in Hemel Hempstead because we hardly ever saw any goldfinches. Here in France, however, there are regular visits from goldfinches as long as the sunflower kernel feeder is stocked!

So I thought I'd have another go with the niger seed feeder. But it's always made me wonder if the really small holes in the plastic tube are TOO small - I've provided some photos for reference below - what do you think?



And a close up of one of the holes with a tape measure in mm for reference:

[Walti]

Whil in Cambridge we had loads of Goldfinches and they never touched the Niger seed however it was presented if there were sunflower seeds available.

My feeder was similar to that, but has slightly elongated slots around 2-3 mm wide and 4-5mm high, when they chose to use it they could get the seeds OK

[Ian]

Whil in Cambridge we had loads of Goldfinches and they never touched the Niger seed however it was presented if there were sunflower seeds available.

My feeder was similar to that, but has slightly elongated slots around 2-3 mm wide and 4-5mm high, when they chose to use it they could get the seeds OK

Thanks Paul,

I've tried to research this online - it does seem to be inconsistent, with some goldinches in some areas loving niger (nyjer) seed and others not going near it. It might be something to do with the quality of the seed. In the USA it has to be heat-treated to prevent germination as it's the seed from an African daisy (not, apparently, from a type of thistle).

I was worried the feeding holes were far too small. But I've put the feeder out and let's see if the local goldfinches go for it.

Ian

[MJ224]

The ones I have are as Paul describes, a slit rather than just a round hole. See what they do, it may take several days for them to realise its a feeder for them, and its not got teeth...

Sparrows will take Niger seed when there is not much else around...:-)

[Ian]

Do the sparrows manage the tiny hole/slot feeders? Or do you mean they'll eat scattered nyjer seed?

[Graham_of_Rainham]

According to the Essex Wildlife Trust bird feeder “guru”, if you see finches and the Nyjer (Niger) seeds are not going make one hole a little bigger but keep an eye out for seeds falling on the ground. Different feeder makers use different size/shape hole, but an old stocking will work just as well, as the birds will make their own holes.

look forward to seeing some pictures of your success in getting the feeder station being used.

[Ian]

Sounds like great advice, Graham 👍

[BDennis]

We have a nyjer seed feeder at our small local village nature reserve which we help to manage. At times it is very popular with goldfinches which come in from the surrounding arable fields. I have observed that they like to tease the seeds out through the small holes. I have never measured the holes in the feeder but they’re small enough that the seeds won’t easily fall out.

Here is a slow motion video I made in July 2020 showing this:

I have never filled this feeder myself, it takes so long to empty - I assume because only the Goldfinches feed on it and other birds and squirrels can’t be done with getting the seeds out! I had some slightly out of date nyjer seeds and put them on a tray feeder - some collared doves gobbled them up in short order, so other birds will eat them.

[Ian]

Love the video, Bill! That gives me some confidence. That feeder looks very similar to mine.

I actually haven't seen any goldfinches since I returned to France after Christmas, but the feeders at the house here probably depleted just a few days after we left for the UK, so the goldfinches need to rediscover the feeders. The blue tits, great tits and sparrows were back in their hordes just a day after we returned and I'd replenished the feeders. 😁

Ian

[BDennis]

Happy to help! Actually I had forgotten I took that video but your feeder in this post reminded me of the one at the reserve here and how I’d spent some mindful moments watching them getting seeds out of it in 2020. Hope you get some Goldfinches back - we mainly get them in the garden in spring / summer - in winter they seem to flock together around the fields.

[Ian]

Yes, I've seen the flocks in the fields around here!

[blackfox]

Probably all came to mine Ian must have had 30 the other morning , and yes they will take the Nyjer seed from those feeders .. but prefer it when I buy white hearts instead

[Ian]

Well - success! It didn't take long!


I had only put the feeder up the day before. Quite by chance I spotted the goldfinch eyeing up the new nyjer seed feeder when I was taking advantage of some late afternoon sun and snapping the tits and sparrows.


Then, rather frustratingly, the goldfinch moved on without even perching on the nyjer feeder. It had its beady on the sunflower hearts I'd placed in a feeder nearby on the top pf a low wall.



You can just see that this bird has been ringed. This must have been a chance in a million to snap a ringed goldfinch here in rural France!

At this point I was a bit disheartened as I'd thought the nyjer feeder had once again failed. But...



After a few minutes of photographing the goldfinch stuff itself on sunflower hearts and being very pushy with the tits and sparrows that wanted their share, I went back inside the house. Julia had also been watching the feeders and pointed out that there were now several goldfinches and one was feeding on the nyjer seeds! The above shot was taken through the kitchen door window and while you can't see it, the bord was definitely extracting and munching on the seed.

I've seen a couple of goldfinches on the feeder since, so I hope they decide ti make it a regular visit!

Ian

[wanderer]

Nice picture.
It also demonstrates my comments on poor design. There are seeds below the last aperture. Note the condensation bottom right. The seed will rot. It does, however, have a good 'roof' to keep the rain off and If its the type, I think it is, It just comes off with a twist.
Could you have asked the bird to turn round so as to photograph the ring?

[Ian]

I completely agree with you - and that feeder wasn't a cheapie. The plastic tube is high quality, as are the metal parts (the base is die-cast) but the fact that the seed falls through and gets stuck is pretty bad.

[wanderer]

I don't get Goldfinches at my feeders but a friend does at hers. She finds they ignore nijer seeds but love sunflower hearts. It might be worth trying those in an ordinary feeder.

I do find that many bird feeders are poorly designed for one reason or several. I also think that a lot of companies do not feed birds at their factories as they would otherwise find out quickly what works, in both feeding and cleaning, and what doesn't.
I recently bought a new nut feeder to put up whilst I washed and cleaned the old one.
The old one comes apart and goes back together easily, the new one is not so good as it need a couple of screws undoing but its main poor point is a diamond mesh rather than a square one.
The Sparrows and Starlings can't get their beaks through the mesh, consequently they got nothing for a couple of days.
When I put the old one back up they were onto it within 2 minutes.

I have also just bought a monster (4ft!) general feeder for the Highland estate where it can be filled and will take a week to empty.
I had to adapt it as it had 12 ports and that would have emptied it in about 24 hours. I covered over, internally and externally, 8 of the ports with gaffer tape and now it meets my needs perfectly.

For those looking for cheap bird food, I use B&M. I've never had a bird turn its beak up at it. I do a general mix of bird seed, sunflower hearts, dried worms, and 2 types of suet pellets. The other feeds I buy from them are Peanuts (12.5kg bag) and tubs of Fatballs (50s). The tubs are excellent for storing the other bird food and, so far (3 years+) appear to be mouse proof.
At home this brings in House Sparrows (40+), Starlings (up to 10), Dunnock, Blackbird, Robin, Wood Pigeons, Collared doves, Jackdaws, Magpies and, usually in pairs, Great, Coal and BlueTits.

Up country we get Great, Coal, Blue and Long Tailed Tits, Treecreeper, Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch (up to 40), Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Siskins, Brambling, occasionally Jays and Red Squirrels and a couple of times, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting and Crossbill. There was also a massive pass through of Redwings, Song and Mistle Thrushes in one week last Autumn.
There are other sightings from the cottage but Golden Eagles, Ospreys and Whooper Swans don't come to the bird feeders.

[Ian]

Great stuff, Duncan Locals here have noted brambling and I have seen black and common redstarts and I definitely have chaffinches. I've seen long tailed, marsh and coal tits here but not in my garden yet.We can hear turtle doves in the summer but it's usually the collared doves and wood pigeons that make an appearance.

[Ian]

I have started a new thread about my goldfinch here, if you are interested

https://www.e-group.uk.net/forum/forum/show-your-photos/foto-fair/855255-greedy-bossy-goldfinch

[Ian]

Update from a very damp and gloomy France this morning - despite all that our goldfinches have definitely taken to the nyjer seed feeder

E-M1X, 75-300 through the kitchen window, ISO 6400!



Ian

[MJ224]

Well caught. I gave up on husked sunflower seeds, as the birds dropped quite a lot on the floor. The mold coming from that was horrible to disgusting....So only feed birdfood seed now, and peanuts of course...:-)

[Ian]

Well caught. I gave up on husked sunflower seeds, as the birds dropped quite a lot on the floor. The mold coming from that was horrible to disgusting....So only feed birdfood seed now, and peanuts of course...:-)

Let's face it, bird feeding stations are a bit messy and need to be kept clean. I do have sparrows, blackbirds and chaffinches cleaning up under feeders though

That goldfinch was on the nyjer seed feeder for at least 2 hours today!

Ian

[wanderer]

What you need are Woodpigeons. They eat a lot and clean up pretty well what falls to the ground.
Chaffinches and Dunnocks are also useful that way.

[Ian]

An update - they are still using the nyjer seed feeder, but only because the sunflower hearts feeder is empty! And there was some welcome Spring-like sunshine today as well!

90-250, f/4, ISO 640 But still through the kitchen window (sorry...!)

[Graham_of_Rainham]

I guessed that you would give the 90-250 an outing.

[Ian]

Of course. I need some exercise anyway!

[Ian]

The nyjer/niger seed feeder is going great guns now it is established and I think maybe up to a dozen individual goldfinches squabble over it each day, if not all at the same time. I also get an occasional greenfinch but not on the nyjer seed feeder - should I expect them to eventually discover it or are they not interested in seed from this kind of very small hole feeder?

The tits hop on the feeder and look longingly at the contents but they simply can't get at it.

Ian