Goldfinches and sunflowers on the Durham coast

Earlier this month, the largest flock of goldfinches that I've ever seen congregated on the Durham coast. There must have been well over 200 birds, feeding on seeds of the limestone flora on the cliff top above Blast beach. Most seemed to be eating meadowsweet seeds, but there was also a large store of knapweed and hemp agrimony seeds for them to feed on. Many of the birds hadn't moulted into full adult plumage yet and were quite hard to spot on the ground, but when they all took to the air at once they were a magnificent spectacle.   

Further along the coastal path, near Hawthorn dene, two fields have been sown with a wild bird food crop, including fodder radish, quinoa (below) and sunflowers which will provide food for finches and buntings later in the winter, when the supply of wild flower seeds runs low. Last winter similar crops attracted large flocks of linnets.

Grow-your-own wild bird food

Time to start feeding the birds again, which must be even more satisfying if you grow your own sunflower seed for feeding finches..............  

I noticed these magnificent giant sunflower seed heads drying in a garden at Blanchland yesterday. Made me wish I'd grown some too. 

Next year.....................