Design

'Our' goldfinch family is out there chowing down on thistle seeds from the feeder right now. Maybe this was dad, from early in the summer . I've filled the thistle feeder numerous times over the last couple of months, as the parents, and then the youngsters were loading up. They were eating a LOT of niger thistle seed, in addition to foraging for Rudbeckia , Echinacea , and other seeds in the front meadow. There were three of them getting water from the smallest birdbath right outside my study window this morning. The juveniles are comical-looking with the scruffy mottled feathers growing out. I didn't manage to get a photo, but in looking for one to include or link to, found this nice post about a papa goldfinch and a fledgling foraging in a meadow, with fabulous photos. American goldfinches are among the last birds to breed in our warm season, being almost totally seed-eaters; late nesting coincides with abundant composite and grass seed production in late summe...

By the time the thistle seed ran out in the last 'thistle sock,' the goldfinches had figured they'd better forage elsewhere. So a full 'thistle sock' -- pretty ugly, but effective, has been quiet for the last week or so. But early this morning, a pair of American Goldfinches were avidly snagging seeds, and I managed to snap a halfway decent photo through my study window.

The bright yellow flash of male goldfinches this time of year alerts me to their presence. Lately, a pair of goldfinches has been eating Liatris, Rudb eckia, and purple coneflower seeds in the front meadow. I wish I'd been able to get a picture of the male hanging on the spiky Liatris -- they're skittish enough that it's hard to sneak up on them. The woodchuck(s) must be hungry. They're now starting to eat almost green tomatoes! Or maybe this is a hungry cardinal... woodchucks are most likely.

The birdfeeders are in full view when I'm at the computer. The usual parade of Carolina chickadees, titmice, and cardinals is always fun to watch. This morning, a flash of yellow alerted me to a visit by a male goldfinch. I'd recently filled up the thistle feeder, but he wasn't eating thistle seeds, but avidly eating black oil sunflower seeds in one of the main feeders. I took a few quick shots through the window, and then went outside to see that a female goldfinch was now on the same feeder.