The Goldfinch/Nico is one of my most favourite of garden birds - I adore them. My Nicos have been back for about three weeks, but took a break during the snow. In my garden they only eat Nyger Seeds and go through it so quickly! I’ve heard some people have great success with Goldfinches and Sunflower Hearts. Apparently the chicks copy their parents’ eating habits, so I assume that you could have generations in your garden sticking to the same food source?
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Goldfinches (nico) that is! Here in mid-Argyll, Catrin, they seem to prefer sunflower seeds which we have as ‘clean’ i.e. without husks at some times of year, as some of our birds just drop the husks on the ground and nothing else seems to eat them.
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I’ve heard others say the same, even a friend in a nearby village, so maybe the theory about the following their parents’ eating habits is true - interesting! 
On a different note, I’ve been having an impassioned discussion on social media about what to put out as nesting materials for birds. Out in the sticks as we are, there’s probably no need because of the abundance of natural materials readily available - sheep’s wool, horse hair, feathers, straw, twigs etc. But putting a little something out can’t do any harm, right? Unless that little something in itself can cause harm.
I have a problem about tumble dryer lint. I was once told and have recently had it confirmed, that fluff from your dryer can be harmful. So I tend to stick to natural materials only. Here’s a link which basically covers all the reasons why…
Does anyone have any opinions, experience, or expertise in this area?
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Clarified with Janet, husk free seed goes out when suskins arrive. Some were here esarly but fled in face of cold, so we are feeding ordinary seed, no nylar! Our goldfinches eat both, but still not back.
Heddiw we have heron back in/on/by the pond and, verified (by Janet) wagtails l on fat candle and female blackbird on table.
To @CatrinLliarJones we don’t put nesting material now. Sheep, highland cattle etc… provide birds with hair and lots of moss, lichen etc is available. Back when I had Cavaliers,I used to put fur from brushes on back fence, but there was no rush! Different in cities I think! Definitely not fluff from tumble drier!
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Wrong again, us! Or a different bird! Janet just told me ‘wagtail’ is long tailed tit! So her’s, today is tit! I still think mine was just black and white!
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**Message from @ramblingjohn : **
(in case anyone is trying to contact him)
Unfortunately, he’s had an internet failure, and won’t be back online until the problem is fixed, probably a couple of days.
Message at 22:40 Tuesday 06.03.2016
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Sorry no John, but bliss and joy! We very rarely see our pine martens because they visit at night and we bring in most of the food then Hope they like peanuts! Because on the news today it says those little neighbours are the bodyguards of our red squirrels! Have at’em martens!
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Hope he is able to get it fixed soon!
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I’ve had a busy hour or so in the garden adding to our nesting boxes and feeders collection. We now have six boxes in total, two are already in use. I put a little bit of sheep’s wool in the new ones before hanging them. I may be too late for this spring, but hopefully by next year they will be in use. I’ve also added a new Nyger Seed feeder as the finches seem to be eating it so quickly at the moment, and hung an old feeder full of sheep’s wool as extra nesting material. Looking forward to seeing the garden getting busier in the spring! 
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Do you have a pond? We find ours in our wild garden, attracts all sorts, not just frogs and the heron(s). We put up one nest box over ten years back, but it is clear there are so many handy nest bearing hedges, trees etc. that nest boxes aren’t realky needed. We were given a new more natural looking nut feeder for Christmas and it seems to be getting well used, or was until the ‘beast from the east’! Dunnocks and a very healthy male blackbird today!
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We are surrounded by a maze of small rivers, streams and pools here, which are very a favourite of the Grey Wagtails. But apart from the trees, we don’t have a lot of hedges, so the nesting boxes are very popular. Bring on spring!
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ps we have a canal at the bottom of the hill, two lochs (freshwater) above us and streams runnng down hill and all along, including a small river/stream oh, and some ponds, but still they come to our little sheltered pond!
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Should have a new router next week and hopefully return to internet.
for now it’s occasional borrow connection from neighbor.
Anyway, signs of spring sure are good to see.
Morgrugyn coch - Red ants.
Grifft llyffant - frog spawn.
Place your bets folks, (how many of catrin’s boxes will have a nest this year).
Cheers J.P.
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Hi @ramblingjohn - good to see frog spawn already. So far, no sign of frogs or grifft llyffant on my pond - they usually surprise me by how early they turn up (black mark here for me - didn’t note the date they appeared last year 
). My pond was covered, though, in thick ice the week before last so must have been pretty cold after thawing. Was your frog spawn in a pond or a stream? I’ve been wondering if gently running water might have been that little bit warmer enough to encourage the frogs?
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… but all of a sudden, today here they are, six of them this a.m. and a good patch of grifft llyffant too!
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I don’t know, but I do have nest box envy. We only have one up at the moment. I was inspired too by stories & pictures of frogspawn so went outside yesterday to check out our 2 little ponds.
No 1. No spawn but by the look of these two, I’m expecting some soon.
No 2. Hwre!
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Two long-tailed tits feeding on fat candle this morning. Oh where are all our other birds? I much fear drowned in the Atlantic! If any of you live on north east coast of Canada or USA, keep eyes open for sad little flocks of lost finches and tits!
sorry no picture, no device to hand and no time to turn off kitchen light and fetch iphone!
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I shall keep an eye out and let you know! May have to wrap myself up in warm camouflage and go sit in the garden for the day with my zoom lens and a flask of wine… watch this space… 
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Or is my Greenfinch actually a siskin in law light? If you zoom in, it’s markings are much more like a Siskin than a Greenfinch.
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