Serious question, my goldfinches showed up 2 weeks late this year and I think my neighbor's new feeders are the reason | Backyard Birdwatchers - Guest Forum
Serious question, my goldfinches showed up 2 weeks late this year and I think my neighbor's new feeders are the reason
I've had nyjer and sunflower out in the same spot in my yard near Dayton since 2019 and the goldfinches usually hit my feeders the first week of April like clockwork. This year I didn't see one until the third week of April, and even then it was just two males. My neighbor put up three big feeders last fall about 40 feet from our shared fence, and I'm wondering if the birds just split their time between us now. I counted 6 finches on his side last Saturday morning and only 1 on mine, which stung a little since I've been feeding here for 5 years. Maybe it's the weather, since we had a cold snap right when they usually move through, or maybe it's just normal flock shifting. Has anyone else in the Midwest noticed finches arriving late this spring, or am I reading too much into a feeder rivalry that might not exist?