ARE GREENFINCHES RETURNING?

Posted: 07.08.20 in Articles category

A Greenfinch sings from the birch tree outside my house. He is one of the few birds singing in early August and his sound heralds a welcome return. Greenfinches used to be common in this part of Northumberland, but as elsewhere the local population has plummeted since 2005 with the spread of Trichomonosis. The British Trust for Ornithology calculates that overall Greenfinch numbers across the UK more than halved during the past decade as a consequence of a parasite-induced disease that affected these birds' ability to feed.

The plight of Greenfinches demonstrates just how vulnerable any bird species can be . We might view some birds as pests because of their abundance at a given time, but that status can change so quickly and so easily. This time two years ago I wrote about the Passenger Pigeon - once the world's commonest bird until humankind killed them all. Let's hope the Greenfinch at least is starting to recover. I look forward in hope to hearing more of their trilling songs next spring.