There are so many hungry birds coming to my yard now that the weather has turned cold. They are in search of food that will help them withstand the low temperatures that we have been having. Normally Northern Cardinals fill my yard, but lately there have also been hundreds of small birds visiting my feeders.
One of my Christmas requests was to receive new bird feeders. My old bird feeders suffered this past summer due to the raccoon family that came to live. Raccoons are very strong and they didn’t mind tearing things up to get to the seeds. So, I lost several nice feeders due to raccoon vandals! My husband, Dennis, gave me four new wood feeders plus a sturdy metal “squirrel proof” tube feeder. These new feeders have really helped to feed the multitude of birdies that have come.
The small birds visiting in flocks have been Purple Finches, House Finches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadees and Goldfinches. These small birds often travel together and look out for each other. It is almost as if they stand guard for each other. A signal will go out and they all fly away and then return a few minutes later.
One of the interesting things that Dennis and I have noticed is that this year we have had an abundance of Goldfinches. This tiny 5” bird is such a perky little fella. Right now it looks more like an Easter chick in color than the canary yellow that it will soon be. In fact, the Goldfinch is often called a Wild Canary because of its plumage.
During the winter months the male and female look very much alike with their drab coloring, but the males are a pale yellow and the females are olive green in color. But, when mating season begins in late April we will see a dramatic change in the male’s coloring that will make you think that you have a visitor from a tropical island.
John Keats an English romantic poet once wrote, “Sometimes goldfinches one by one will drop From low hung branches; little space they stop; But sip, and twitter, and their feathers sleek; Then off at once, as in a wanton freak: Or perhaps, to show their black, and golden wings pausing upon their yellow flutterings.”
One of my favorite bird feeders that I have been given is a window feeder that has suction cups that stick to the window pane. I have had Goldfinches come right up to the window and sit down in the feeder for five to ten minutes and have eaten their fill of sunflower seeds.
It has given me the opportunity to see them really up close and enjoy their feathers and features in detail. It will be exciting to see little fledglings come to my window for me to enjoy them, too.
Goldfinches eat insects, but during the winter months, insects are a little harder for them to find, so that is why it is important for us to provide bird feeders to help them survive the harsh temps. I have placed whole trays filled with bird seed and I have enjoyed watching a half dozen or more of them sitting together in the tray having an all you can eat buffet.
Currently I am going through a Johnny’s seed catalog looking for interesting plants for my yard that will attract and feed Goldfinches. Last spring, I planted Black Eyed Susan plants and I left some of the dead blooms with seeds for my Goldfinches to eat and enjoy. Sunflowers, zinnias and asters are also known to also be flowers that Goldfinches are drawn to, so they are now on my spring planting list.
These flocks of Goldfinches have brightened my dreary winter days a lot and they give me hope for the coming spring as I continue to “Look at the birds of the air…” Matthew 6:26.
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