The Angry Birds Are Back!

It's been really nice to see some Greenfinches back in my neighbour's garden for the first time in many years. They've suffered a national decline due to disease but seem to be making a bit of a recovery this year as others have reported them too.

Greenfinch populations have plummeted by roughly 67% since the mid-2000s. This drastic decline is primarily driven by trichomonosis, a severe parasitic disease spread at contaminated garden bird feeders, which bumped the species to the UK Red List. This means they are under most threat of further population decline.

The advice is not to put out seeds and peanuts in feeders from May to October when the disease transmission peaks. Most birds, specially young ones, should be eating insects and berries during this time. And clean your feeders and tables regularly using a 5% bleach solution washing water containers and bird baths daily if possible.

If you're wondering about the title of this post, I've always thought that the Angry Birds computer game used Greenfinches as the model for their characters!