Bird of month - Goldfinch

Goldfinch by Colin Wilson The Goldfinch is one of our most colourful birds, it was once kept in cages, and yet it is common throughout the valley. Our breeding birds, a distinct race called britannica, mainly migrate to southern Europe in winter, but they are replaced by migrants of the nominate race carduelis from Northern Europe and they are easy to find in the Blackwater Valley all year round. Across the whole of Britain they are found in almost every habitat in summer and winter although numbers can be much lower in winter in more remote places.

The key identification features are the red face and the gold wing bar on black wings and a white rump. Adults of both sexes are the same, but young birds may cause confusion in late summer as the red face is not apparent until they moult. The Goldfinch is a bit smaller than a Chaffinch or a House Sparrow. Their calls are soft skipping and cheerful ‘stikelitt’ and a ‘stik’ call is often repeated. The song in spring is an enthusiastic twittering to me often sounding like a whole flock of birds when only a couple are present!

In winter Goldfinches join with other finch family members such as Siskins and Redpolls flocking to feed on Alder and birch seeds. In late summer their preferred food comes from thistle and groundsel and well into the winter months they are often seen dangling from a thistle head as they extract the remaining seeds. They are rarely seen alone so if you see a flock of birds, especially in Alder or birch in winter, it is worth spending a little time to investigate as several species may be represented.

In our valley, the birds can be found almost anywhere there is Alder and birch and in fields with a lot of thistle seed heads. As always, I advocate listening as the first tool of birdwatching, when you hear twittering it is likely to be finches and chances are Goldfinches will be amongst them. The walk between Coleford Bridge and North Camp station can be quite good for this species, but with a little patience you should find them everywhere.

Colin Wilson

Berkshire Ornithological Club
www.berksoc.org.uk

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