In my garden they also eat goldsturm black-eyed susans, plains coreopsis (mahogany red and yellow) which seems to be the absolute favorite, and salvia - farinacea and lady in red. It is really fun to watch them on the black-eyed susans if you are close enough to tell the birds from the flowers. They perch high on the stem and rip the petals out of the flower head to get at the seed. I know I have had a lot of finches I missed seeing when I have a patch of bare black eyes with no yellow petals. We had squirrels and then mice under the feeder so the seed-producing flowers works better here.

Jean, I am in Dawsonville. I have posted to my neighborhood news, told the local bird supply store which I am sure thrills them no end and not something they want to advertise, told my HOA board. I was sort of peeved because they made a joke of it and wondered if the birds had "gotten into some of those bad peanuts". Not funny. I have found a lot of dead birds as I am in the woods often and know where they roost. In one spot where the juncos roost there were dead juncos all over the ground. I have 4 juncos out of a zillion left, 2 siskens and 1 goldfinch. I tried to tell the neighborhood as nicely as possible to keep an eye on personal pets, it's contagious, children should not pick up dead birds, and gee, we should have major bug issues this summer if our insect eating permanent resident birds get killed. They are nice people but they just don't get that everything ties together. It's a non-issue to them and I am just the crazy wildlife lady who gets a pat on the head. I'm actually fairly middle class normal. I don't know what else to do. I'm not even some ecology wildlife fanatic, just a woman who grew up in deep woods. I guess it's part of my upbringing to be aware of nature and I just don't understand the blase attitude. Then they open the door and let their cat out. I don't mean to rant, it's just sad to me.

I have had "trouble" with my thistle seed feeder this year too. They are NOT eating it. So, I dumped what was in the feeder, and put in "fresh" that had been stored in a sealed plastic bin. The finches are still not frequenting the tube feeder. What's up with that?! I bought a new bag of nyger seed, but I seriously hate to open it until the last batch is gone. It's too expensive! I also have not seen as many gold finches in my yard as I normally do. Are they just not as plentiful this year? I see them drinking from the birdbath and sometimes on the No-No black sunflower seed feeder, but not on the tube feeder.

I am so sorry. I know that helpless feeling all to well. I hope you dont have a Salmonella outbreak starting. Watch for birds that look "puffed up" and hang out on the bird bath kinda "bobing" also residue on the beaks. When they can no longer fly to a safe place to roost they will find somewhere like up against a house to die. The first outbreak I had was bad, I found 30+ birds (out of a flock of aprox 200). I took a couple sick birds to a rehabber and also 6 bodies that she sent to UofM for testing. We tried antibiotic therapy but it did not work. The sad truth there is nothing you can do to save them. Keep everything as clean as you can, it is spread through their droppings. Some will say take down your feeders but I feel they will just go to the next persons feeder that may not be as clean and also spread it to birds that do not usually come to my feeders. Last year I lost only about 6 (that I found) and it seemed to run it's course very quickly. I have year round Gold Finches but also get a very large flock that winters here, I usually get it when the weather turns very cold. I do not see it every year (thank God). I have not decided wether it is best for the bird to let nature take it's course and let it die in it's natural surroundings (usually freezing first) or to bring it in where it is warm dark and quiet. So yes, rake up the seed, bleach the feeders, keep the bath clean, do what you can but know that if it is Salmonella it just has to run it's course, the strong will survive.