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Garden songbird is becoming increasingly common
One of Britain's most charming songbirds is an increasingly common sight in our gardens. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is asking members of the public to help find out why.
Over the past 25 years, goldfinch numbers have risen dramatically, according to the trust's Garden Bird Feeding Survey. But the reasons for this increase are not well understood.
BTO is launching a new survey to find out if its increasing use of garden bird foods is helping the species to grow.
The trust wants to explore the importance of the type of food we put out and the plants we grow; whether goldfinches prefer nyger seed or sunflower seed.
Learning more about how birds use garden resources will help conservationists to provide for them when times are hard.
BTO is asking members of the public to spend two minutes watching goldfinches in their garden, reporting how many birds are seen and what they are eating.
The trust is also interested in how their feeding behaviour changes throughout the winter.
The goldfinch feeding survey will run from November 2015 to February 2016. To find out more visit: http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/about/background/projects/goldfinch-feeding-survey/instructions
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