Always hated nyjer seed feeders until I saw a goldfinch count

I read on the Cornell Lab site that goldfinches will clean out a nyjer feeder in under a week during peak migration and that got me to try one last month. Now I'm counting 12+ goldfinches at a time and wondering if anyone else had the same turnaround after giving it a real shot?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_spencer6d ago

Dude, same here! I was totally skeptical but now I’ve got a whole flock emptying that thing in two days flat.

wood.zara6d ago

But honestly I think those feeders are way overrated. I had one for a whole season and got maybe 2 goldfinches the entire time, and they barely touched the seed. Meanwhile my old tube feeder with regular black oil sunflower gets swarmed by goldfinches plus cardinals, chickadees, and nuthatches. Nyjer is EXPENSIVE too and it either clumps up in the rain or the birds just ignore it. I'd rather put that money into a good sunflower mix that actually brings in variety instead of betting on a finicky feeder that might pay off if you're really lucky.