Question: The goldfinches and siskins are birds that I want coming to my yard so I purchased a thistle sock. It seemed to let a lot of thistle seed slip through and land on the ground. I then tried a feeder from a box store and have the same problem. What do I look for in a finch feeder to stop this? Thistle is too expensive to waste.
Finches feeding at a thistle sock.
Answer: First, please go out to your feeding station and take a good look at the seed on the ground. Finches and siskins crack the seed, eat the meat and leave the hull. What you may perceive as wasted seed may have already been eaten by the birds. If this is not the case, then it is time to pick a quality bird feeder. When looking for any bird feeder the first criteria should be easy to clean. The feeder should come apart so you can get into every nook and cranny. You should clean your feeder at least once a month. Second, the bird feeder should be easy to fill. This may not sound important at first, but after the first month or two hard to fill feeders are usually empty a great deal of the time. Third, look for a company whose main line is bird feeders. These companies take the time to develop a great design. Many companies who build bird feeders as a side line will usually build a pretty feeder, but not pay attention to the details that make bird feeders great. The bird feeders we carry meet the above criteria and most have been tried in our yard or in the yards of the savvy birders we know personally.
You have tried a sock, but know that there are different qualities of thistle socks. Look for a sock that is made of heavy duty material and has a locking closure. To keep the seed fresh after rain, roll the sock between your hands. It will keep the seed from retaining moisture and molding.
The finches cling to the screen of the thistle feeder.
Many of our customers first step from a sock to a thistle feeder will be the one quart acrylic finch feeder. The features that make this a quailty feeder are the stainless steel screen, durable acrylic top and bottom with drainage holes in the base and a seed diverter so there will be no waste of your thistle seed. It comes in 4 different colors. If you are feeding lots of finches we also have a 3 quart acrylic thistle feeder.
Once our customers try a quality thistle feeder, it is usually a short time before they start looking for larger feeder or one with a lifetime guarantee. Browse through our large selection to find the perfect feeder for you. If you have any questions about any of the feeders, please contact us.
