Emily Kench of the RSPB is charmed by a colourful garden visitor.

Murders, flings, exaltations… which would you prefer to see? Believe it or not, each is a collective noun for a group of birds; crows crowd in a murder, sandpipers in a fling and larks in an exaltation. Not forgetting a 'parliament' of owls - far more interesting than the workings of Westminster - and a 'flight' of swallows which sounds simply mesmerising. However, there is one group of birds that we seem to find the most charming.

Exotic colours, golds, yellows, blacks, whites and reds, tint our gardens en masse in an almost oriental fashion; goldfinches have arrived. This stunning array of paint palette birds is described as a charm, perhaps because they brighten our rather unexciting winter gardens with their striking colours.

The gold colouration is so unusual, that it was once thought that like gold itself, the birds have curative powers. Italian children kept the birds on hand-strings in hope they would offer health-giving properties.

Their song is also rather charming; an unmistakeable fluting, liquid, twitter often heard from the tops of trees or from the middle of shrubs and sung as these delicate birds flutter from twig to twig, moving in large charms together. In fact these birds can flock together in groups of 100, overwhelming bird feeders, looking for delicate seeds to pick on.

They have long, thin, specialist beaks designed to tweezer tiny seeds from plants such as teasel or dandelion when available. When unavailable, goldfinches will happily gorge on sunflower hearts and nyjer seeds – spread a few of these seeds in your palm and you will see that they look like tiny splinters of black lint, perfect for a goldfinch's dainty beak.

Putting seed out pays off! The goldfinch population in the region has increased by 35% as more of us offer specialised garden food and manicure our gardens less, encouraging much needed thistles and teasels.

If you notice a charm in your garden, they may not hang around for long. Like most other finches, goldfinches tend to be social outside the breeding season and will both feed and roost together. As the light starts to fade in the evening the finches usually start heading back to their preferred roost site, but these roost sites can change from one night to the next and can be several miles away from the last feeding site.

So, if you are one of the many of us that love to see goldfinches in your garden make the most of them whilst you can. However fleeting their visits though remember it's the collective effort that counts. Your feeding the birds one day means that the next day someone else may be able to enjoy them too. After all, there's nothing better than sharing some charm.

And do forget to look out for goldfinches in this year's Big Garden Birdwatch later this month.

Count the goldfinches, and other birds in your garden in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Register for free at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch, or text BIRD to 70030. You will receive a free bird identification chart, an RSPB shop voucher, and advice on attracting more wildlife to your garden.

Get ready for the Big Garden Birdwatch at Titchwell Marsh: Saturday January 20 and Sunday January 21, 11am-2pm, Price: £2 per person. Get yourself BGBW ready and gear up for the world's largest wildlife survey. Join millions of people up and down the country as they spend an hour watching and recording the wildlife on their doorstep, in the local park, in a neighbour's garden or even on the beach. Why not go that extra step and invite more wildlife into your green space by making a birdy seed feeder, hedgehog cake or fruit kebab at Titchwell Marsh reserve. We'll have lots of fun activities and a wildlife themed nature trail for all the family. This event runs over the weekend before the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch and you don't have to book, just turn up we'll give you hints and tips for counting the wildlife that's counting on you.