I expect you have seen the latest recommendations from the BTO on feeding garden birds. The new guidance is to stop feeding seeds and peanuts from today to the end of October in the hope of reducing transmission of trichomonosis which has caused declines in populations of chaffinches and greenfinches.
The problem is widespread but seems a bit less up here compared with farther south. This graph from the BTO Garden BirdWatch shows the reporting rate for greenfinches in the North East.
Compare that with the South East.
These are similar data for chaffinches.
I don't remember ever seeing a finch on the peanut feeder so I think I'll continue with peanuts until they are also used up and see what happens. That will be a relief to the woodpeckers who will be here with their fledglings in June.
I reckon I only see about one sick finch a year here. One effect of stopping feeding is that all the finches will disappear so recording of both healthy and sick finches will presumably plummet but I expect the BTO experts have thought about that. I'll be disappointed not to see the birds but I guess it is all for the greater good.
At the moment I still have lots of siskins, redpolls, bullfinches, greenfinches and chaffinches outside the kitchen window. They are going to be very disappointed.
My prize visitor, a brambling, was only here for a week before setting off home to Scandinavia about three weeks ago.
Assuming most people comply with the advice it's going to be interesting to see what happens, both here and nationally. I expect I'll be getting complaints from the local clean-up squad as well.
