When it comes to the different types of wild bird feeders used to purposely attract both finches and goldfinches to the backyard, there are indeed a lot of options out there to pick from.
Some of these feeders are quite elaborate and expensive and others are, simply put, pretty basic and fairly economical.
One of them, the sock feeder, fits on the end of the spectrum leaning towards simple and economical for sure.
But don’t let that be a deterrent mind you, finch sock feeders do indeed attract birds and work quite well for feeding both finches and goldfinches alike.
We actually use a few sock feeders in our own backyards, alongside numerous other types of bird feeders, and the finches and goldfinches love them.
Because of the high number of goldfinches we get at a time during the winter, we utilize several large wire mesh feeders but add a couple of sock feeders in the mix as well.
In a nutshell, the sock finch feeder is nothing more than a soft piece of mesh cloth sewn into a sock-like shape to hold birdseed, hence the name sock feeder.
It not only holds in the seed but also allows finches and goldfinches to cling onto the soft mesh material and easily pull the birdseed through the small holes.
Finch sock feeders work quite well at attracting both finches and goldfinches to the backyard garden.
They are best suited, however, for dryer climates or seasons, mind you, as the feeders provide no real protection from the elements and the seed can get wet and sometimes mold.
But in dry climates, like the Western United States, for example, we have had great success with sock feeders during both summer and winter.
The biggest advantage they offer is finch sock feeders are a good inexpensive way to feed and attract both finches and goldfinches to the yard.
From our own experience using sock feeders in the yard, both house finches and lesser and American goldfinches love to hang on and feed from a sock feeder.
Depending on what birds are in your region, a variety of finches and goldfinches will be attracted to and eat from a finch sock feeder.
We consistently get lesser and American goldfinches as well as a good number of house finches feeding on our sock feeders.
By far, lesser goldfinches are the most common birds at our sock feeders, but that is solely a result of lesser goldfinches being the most common finches in our particular area.
Sock feeders do require a special seed to be used, however.
Nyjer seed, sometimes referred to as thistle seed, is best suited to be used in sock feeders.
The small rice-like seed is easily pulled through the small mesh openings.
Larger seeds commonly used in many commercial mixes, such as milo and sunflowers, for example, are too big for birds to easily pull through the small mesh openings of the sock feeder.
Up until now, we haven’t tried millet seed, a smaller type of common birdseed that attracts goldfinches, in our sock feeders, but it could be another option to nyjer seed if it can easily be pulled through the small mesh openings.
We are starting a test by replacing nyjer with millet in our sock feeders during the winter when a good number of birds are present to see how well it works in the sock feeders.
We will post our results when we find out how well millet works in lieu of nyjer seed with the mesh feeder, possibly making it a good substitute for nyjer seed in sock feeders as we have seen in our own yards finches and goldfinches love millet seed as well.
For now, however, we just use nyjer seed in our sock feeders with no problems at all.
But as a general rule, however, we do like to offer a variety of seeds at any given time so hopefully the millet seed will be a good substitute in the sock feeders.
One thing to consider, however, with this type of bird feeder is some sock finch feeders are refillable and some aren’t.
You can get a lot of use from a sock feeder by refilling it so look for one that is refillable, open at the top end allowing the seed to be poured in, and closed back up with a plastic clip.
The only real downside to sock feeders is they are hard to clean and just better to be disposed of if and when sick birds come to the backyard, something every backyard bird watcher will eventually have to deal with when feeding birds no matter what type of feeder is being used.
Other types of bird feeders, such as wire mesh and plastic tube feeders, are much easier to clean and sanitize than sock feeders, but they can and oftentimes be a lot more expensive as well.
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When it comes to feeding finches and goldfinches, the sock feeder is a good economical option if you have a small or moderate amount of birds in your yard.
If you are like we oftentimes are, feeding dozens of finches and goldfinches at any given time, sock feeders by themselves might not be the best way to go, but they can be added alongside some other types of finch feeders to help spread out and feed the masses.
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We are very avid bird watchers, especially when it comes to our own backyards.
But we also enjoy butterflies, dragonflies, and a host of other creatures of nature in our yards as well, and we plan on sharing our experiences with all of that here on our website.
We appreciate your readership and support and hope you enjoy your backyard as much as we do when it comes to bird watching.
