I had 6 male Goldfinches and 2 female plus another 8 house finches. I have no explanation or insight for this. Or should I keep the feeders full in case they return? Its now January and in spite of 2 nyjer feeders I have only 1 lone goldfinch who is traveling in a flock of housefinches. Right now they may have enough natural food with grasses and plants all going to seed, so they’re not at your feeder as much as they were earlier. Flag. I certainly hope this is not a permanent situation! They come and go for reasons known only to themselves. Goldfinches can be so unpredictable. Blue Jays can chase off the goldfinches, but they wouldn’t keep them away from the feeders all the time. They love my River Birch Tree ! I wrote a little bit about this on my 12/31/14 comment. This has been a trend for the past few years. But had lots of rain and cooler weather. Do they not want to be friends anymore? Why? They particularly love the thistle seed I put out! They’ve got young birds to take care of, and young birds need something meatier to eat than Nyjer seed. Don’t worry — they’ll be back soon! What can have happened? I’m concerned. Hope they come back. They are considered to be fairly nomadic little birds, and will move on if they find a good source of naturally occurring food. I had over 25 goldfinches and now they are all gone!!! So there’s no reason to fret, those of you worrying about the lack of goldfinches. Most birds will feed their young birds insects at this point, but goldfinches tend to stick with seed. This is not uncommon for goldfinches. I haven’t filled the nyger feeder for about 3 weeks. Something more than just the type of food in the feeders is going on. Haven’t seen them since. I keep hoping they’ll be back. Always had plenty. Goldfinches are familiar visitors to garden bird feeders, and have benefited from the popularity of nyjer seed as a bird food. I’d like to hear from those who actually have them on their feeders and their locations. It’s funny how we take things for granted, but when you don’t see them, it’s very sad. I don’t think I’ve seen more than two this year. What have I done wrong? Nothing has worked. When they establish their territories, they don’t allow other pairs in that area. This is April and typically there would be many. Tom Waters. The question as to where they went is probably a complex one and the answer is probably not so simple either. What happened? We had Finches all winter but the past several weeks they haven’t been around! One lone male came and he was very dull colored with only a hint of color. I did feed them some nyger seed in the winter, but quit when spring came (and the price went up!). Jennifer Combe, near Devizes in Wiltshire. A few house finches but no sign of my pretty yellow boys. After all, Nyjer seed makes up by far most of a goldfinch’s diet; why would they suddenly disappear? Lesser Goldfinches (Spinus psaltria) Decline These fussy little birds have been common around my house for years. And, another very strange thing … I have not seen any finches since early August … they have just disappeared! The year is now 2015, June……still no goldfinches. During the Spring and early summer, I had tons of finches all day, every day. Now they are gone. Hi there! There are ALWAYS many, many of these birds. WHERE HAVE THEY GONE ? We are in southern Wisconsin and also have lost our finches for the past two years. Same here in Oklahoma. I live in northern Indiana, and the goldfinch population (as well as butterflies) has decreased quite a bit in the last two years. Winter or summer. They breed across the northern half and also southern Canada. And mulitple bird baths. Put in fresh thistle which used to attract dozens at one time. I have a large (almost floor to ceiling) window at the front of the house and have a perennial garden planted right in front of it. In fall, there are so many plants and grasses gone to seed, that they can find what they need without as much support from our feeders. I have worked for the RSPB for over a year, starting in The Lodge shop where I developed an interest in wildlife. Essexville, Mi. Have plenty of other finches. The goldfinch population has declined almost disappeared the las two years. The annual plumage cycle of a male American Goldfinch. Have searched online for answers and found nothing. Could you tell me why they would suddenly leave? Could they somehow be responsible? Supporter Adviser. Do they migrate? Last summer we saw a couple but that was it. What can have happened? Consequently, they are subject to a Medium BTO Alert. I have a sock feeder with nyjer seed.. a male and female visit it, but don’t stay long. Chickadees have never been a problem here in Middle TN. Are they migrating already? What to do!? No Goldfinches here for a while either, yet we used to have up to 16/20 this time of year. Very worried. For the past year or two I’ve had lesser goldfinches at my feeders every day. Print. Normally everytime I looked out at least one of the Goldfinches were there. Have you cleaned your feeder at all? What we’re actually seeing are male goldfinches that are into their annual molt. Im so HAPPY its been 2 years since I saw them last. Not sure if they are still there. Flag. Photo: (December, 2004) I fed goldfinches with this thistle seed feeder for several years, but it was so hard to clean I switched to a bag made by my friend Sheila. Wherever you live in the United States you are likely to have American Goldfinches visit your backyard at some time during the year. Wintering flocks are nomadic, their movements closely tied to food supply. An excellent feeder for offering these is the Duncraft Squirrel Blocker Feeder (shown at right), which has space for more than 12 perching birds and stainless-steel mesh to keep the seed inside fresh and aerated.