Neat shots, Durgan! I am huge into feeding birds, and have one too, as a pet. Gold finches and house finches are two of my favorites. Thanks for sharing. : )
I have a lens for getting close, but the little begger is very nervous, and flies away before I can get into position for a quality close-up. I will practice.
I sat still near the Ivory Silk Lilac Tree with the hanging niger seed feeder for about an hour and got some nice new photographs. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?Goldfinch 26 June 2009 Goldfinch at Niger Seed Feeder
Durgen, Do you get the Rose Finches also? They are a bit bigger than our Washington State Bird: Willow Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis), and look like someone with very bad aim tried to spray their heads with bright pink paint. Thanks for feeding them. What's really funny is watching the squirrel try to get to the bird feeders. Such aerobatics! Had to finally move the feeder! barb
Here the authorities are trying to discourage people from feeding the wild birds. In particulair the sulpher crested cockatoos. Reason if they get food handed out they become bored as life is toooo easy and start demolishing cedar houses. We have lots of these house here including mine. The will sit on railings and window sills and just chop the place up like a feathered chain saw. They always remind me of a gang when they come to the valley screaming and swooping. Then they settle in the paddock or the large pines up the road and demolish the pine nuts spitting them all over the road. They are very funny to watch but are destructo incorporated.. We are encouraged to plant native plants for the local birds to feed on. Feeders Also encourage non indigenous birds such as the Indian mynar, black birds and starlings which are not wanted. Liz
Starlings,grackles, and blackbirds are large feeders of the European Crane Fly larvae (leatherjackets). In 2004 large flocks arriving two ir three times per day solved an infestation of leatherjackets in my garden. Since then I have a soft spot for these birds. One bird was observed eating 15 larvae in a minute. My garden is only visited by one type of goldfinch. The one shown in the picures.
Hi, How nice to catch the very busy Durgan sitting still bird-watching! A little time has passed since this post and so the American gold Finch here has changed and is now wearing a winter coat, or so I've been told. I do not feed birds in summer and not yet, not while there are seeds and insects for them to find in the garden. my yard has lots for birds to find in their own natural way. Feeding birds and wildlife is discouraged here on Vancouver Island too but very many people do so, including me later on when they need some extra calories to do well and stay warm. Then I have to give them only what they will eat in a day as it encourages rodents to move in otherwise. Otherwise they come to bathe as doing so helps them stay warm when it gets cold. They will even bathe in winter when I break the ice for them and add some hot water. This summer has been so very dry that I have had birds I have not seen before too. I love their company in the fall when they return. During the past two weeks most of those missing since late spring have returned. but Since this thread is about the Gold Finch here's one bird from the island D
AHA! And one for HBL's little Hnery too. I knew I saw one bathing once and managed to find where i had left that behind. So, yes it actually got in. I have only seen a finch bathe for the first time htis year. The house finches will usually land and take a drink but never bather til one arrived with his very bright red head this spring and did have several baths that I and a neighbour saw in her fountain too. Now add the AGfinch too. Hmm.The longer one watches If anyone can say whether it is a male of female? D
And it really got into it! Does Henry splash so much, I wonder? One crummy shot of some Niger Thistle that fell from the seed tray and sprouted into quite an attractive plant which I did not allow to go so far as to fluff, if they do. Very attractively bright orange coloured thistley type flower. I'll take a shot of the dried plant & post it later. D
Hey, Those niger thistle seeds are supposed to be heat treated to prevent germination. Apparently the thistle is not desirous to get out into the wild. That is why all niger seed is imported. My understanding!
I am only guessing that they are the niger as i just can't think what else they could be but I am cautious that way and did not let any go to seed outside. All heads are intact sitting in a vase indoors for now. AHA! No! They are not niger at all! I just cracked one open and found white kernels inside. These are seeds of some sort, someone guessed canola, that I found in the deluxe seed mix I feed the birds here when it gets colder. Like a white sunflower seed, looking like the seed from bachelor buttons. I complained when I saw that the local birds do not recognize it as food. This plant does not grow here but is definitely hurtfully prickly and appears as some sort of thistle. So, Durgan, fear not, the Niger will not get loose here! But I would just as soon not have this other thing growing wild here either as it would be vicious to bump into in a field of long grass. Thanks for the info. & Hello to wee doggie too, D
