Goldfinches and Siskins

Spring is here! I am still home schooling so I am lucky enough to see the action happening in the garden all day long. I have seen some birds picking up twigs and old weeds to take to their nests and the garden is busy.

Recently we had some new birds in our garden, Goldfinches and Siskins. I have seen Goldfinches in the garden before but have never seen Siskins here. They come every day and both like to eat the Sunflower hearts.

I was lucky enough to get a photo of both of them looking directly at me!

Siskins

Female Siskin

Siskins can be found all year round, however you are more likely see them in the garden during winter months as they search for food. In the summer when there is more food in the woods, they will stay there eating pinecones. The Siskin is a part of the finch family. It has a distinctive forked tail and a long, narrow beak. They are yellow-green in colour with both the male and females having bright yellow on their beaks. The male has a black cap on his head and in the summer his front will go bright yellow. The female is browner in colour.

You can clearly see the difference between the male and female in this photo

Goldfinch

Adult Goldfinch

Goldfinches are most likely to be seen in the garden in spring to eat the seeds. The Goldfinch is a member of the finch family. They have fawn coloured feathers on their breast and a red, black and white head. They also have bright gold rings on their black wing. The juvenile is streaky dull grey-brown with no marks on it's head until after their moult in autumn.