As our grey damp spring continues here, we’re grateful for any color that shows up in our yard. Our rhododendrons are in full bloom and the welcome scent of spring flowers is in the air. In the bird department, we finally hit the mother lode. Today, we were discovered by three beautiful American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis).
A vibrant golden yellow male was accompanied by two more muted females. They spent a little time on our thistle feeder (the first visitors we were aware of in the month we’ve had it out), then headed to the pole mounted feeder for some sunflower mix.
My wife was passing the window when she saw something in the corner of her eye that was clearly not our usual somewhat drab house or song sparrows and grabbed these beautiful shots.
The interesting thing was that the male seemed to be on guard duty while the females ate, perching atop the feeder and letting the ladies go first. Whether he was on hawk-duty or simply showing off, we don’t know, but it was quite a display. Below, you can see the little guy manning his post.
