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Siskins are a small colourful finch we usually see most commonly in March and April. This occurs as the seeds they feed on in the wild begin to become scarce and our garden feeders become an important food source.
This year we saw unusually low numbers in spring but much unusually high numbers during the autumn. But why is this?
Wet weather affects how well Siskins can access their preferred food sources. Rain causes pine cones to close, removing access to the seeds. This can push more Siskins into gardens as they look for food, push reporting rates up.
In Autumn we saw a period of heavy rainfall over west Scotland. The large areas of conifer forest in Scotland are ideal for breeding Siskins. As the wet weather moves in, Siskins will move to find reliable food.
This is evidenced by the areas which saw the highest increase. Lowland Scotland and northern England saw the largest increases as Siskins left their breeding territories looking for food.
These high numbers might also imply a good breeding season for Siskins. If so, we might see particularly high recording rates in spring when we’d expect an influx of Siskins to arrive on feeders.
Sunflower hearts and niger seeds are their preferred foods and the best chance of attracting these colourful finches in your gardens.
If you would like to find out more about these colourful, lively little finches, you can do so here: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/siskin?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=general_promo
https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/siskin?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=general_promo
