This beautiful photograph, taken by Ann Waller on West Furlong in Bishopsteignton, tells us much about the feeding habits and the sociability of this bird. The goldfinch is one of the most common garden birds in the UK; in fact, the goldfinches’ fondness for niger and sunflower seeds in garden bird feeders is seen as one of the reasons for their strong increase in population since 1995: monitoring between 1995 and 2023 showed an increase of 152%.

















