Do you see bullfinches in your garden?

[BullFinchesInMyGarden]

I love bullfinches but have only seen one in my garden. We have lots of greenfinches and goldfinches.

Does anyone have bullfinches in their garden? And if so, what seems to attract them? Is there anything I can grow to entice them to visit?

No one?

We have them, but not as often as the green finches and gold finches. We put out Niger seed which they seem to like. We tend to only see them around just before dusk - when the cats are indoors napping after their tea!

Very rare that we see one and we tend to have almost everything else! We tried loads of different bird feed but they all seem to like sunflowers hearts and mealworms so we just stick with that now.

Yes we have them! We do live in a very rural area, a tiny hamlet of about 10 houses, and we have absolutely loads of trees and shrubs. They were here when we moved 3 and half years ago and reappear every year, a whole family of them....along with bluetits, great tits, goldfinches, chaffinches, wrens, Jays...sorry I can't help as to how to attract them though! We always have bird seed in a feeder but apart from that I wouldn't know, I've always assumed it was just the area.

How lovely that you see them.

That’s interesting @IncognitoUsername that you see them at dusk. I think I’ll try some Niger seeds.

A whole family @TwistedSisters 😊 Fabulous.

We used to get them on our pyracanthus bush in winter - they loved the berries.

We have three pairs of bullfinches who visit all the time. I always put out sunflower hearts in the feeders and that's what they love. I did read somewhere that they can smell them from a mile away, but obviously don't know how true that is. I would say, though, that a friend who lives in town bought sunflower hearts after seeing my feeders and they now visit her. Do let me know if it works for you.

I haven't seen one for years. The last one I saw was out in the country rather than in a garden.

Yes we get them in the garden. DH has feeders up all winter. I also see them from the window at work fairly often which overlooks a scrubby hedge and field.

Used to be loads where I grew up. Have seen one once here about a decade ago. I still live in hope they will return.

very occasionally I see them. A few years ago we had a nest, sadly it’s was in next doors tree which over hangs our pond and a couple of the chicks fell in the pond (that’s how I found out they were there) ☹️.

I've only seen one once!

We're semi rural. Never ever seen one. Sadly.

We usually get sparrows, starlings, robins, blackbirds, dunnocks and pigeons. Only rarely do we see any type of finch or even tit but every now and again, maybe once every few years, we get the odd bullfinch. I see the goldfinches a bit more often.

Definitely trying the sunflower hearts @NUFC69 and planting a pyracantha @EileenBilton

Never a bullfinch. Lots of other birds including goldfinches, chaffinches and greenfinches (the latter after several years absence, their numbers crashed due to disease a while ago).
I've seen bullfinches in the countryside a few times but not recently.

How sad 😞

We see them very occasionally. We regularly get goldfinches and greenfinches, but bullfinches not so much even though we have stuff they like in the feeders.

They used to drive my FIL nuts in the autumn when flocks of them would strip his fruit trees. I've never seen him so cross

We have a pair that visit regularly. I love bullfinches.

One turned up yesterday - and was around all afternoon - the first time we have seen one since last year.

Never a regular visitor though.

Fabulous looking birds

Yes they come when the crab apple blossom tree is budding and eat the buds.

Yes, we get them in our garden on the west coast of Scotland. They don’t come to the feeders though and seem to stay in the trees.

Yes, I'm I'm London and get them. Haven't seen a greenfinch for year, used to be one the most common birds when I was young.

We are semi rural in south wales.
Generally we get sparrows and starlings with an occasional blackbird - the same one I think and blue tit, great tit and robin very rarely. We have had goldfinches but only seen one this year.
They only seem to like sunflower hearts and mealworms plus the fat balls. I've tried peanuts and sunflower seeds to no avail. I may try Niger seeds as per pp.
Never a bullfinch sadly.
A host of pigeons has recently necessitated a change to my feeder arrangements.

We have a stunning male bullfinch singing gently from a tree in our garden every morning facing the rising sun. His bright salmon pink breast is amazing. I know they love fruit trees (we have a few) OP and I too am going to try sunflower hearts as I would love him to stay.