American Goldfinch in dried Monarda (Bee Balm) patch; with a lone Coreopsis (Unknown Sunflower):
Posts Tagged ‘american goldfinch’
Yellow on Yellow
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged american goldfinch, Arkansas, Bee Balm, monarda, parthenon, Sunflower on September 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »
An award-wining female American Goldfinch Photo taken last June 2014
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged american goldfinch, Arkansas, Award winning, awarded, female, parthenon, thistle head on September 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »
American Goldfinch on thistle head in my yard
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged american goldfinch, american goldfinches, Arkansas, Boston Mountains, native seed crop, parthenon, thistle on July 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »
The American Goldfinches are busy nesting now. They nest later than other songbirds each year (usually late June – early July). They wait until the native seed crop is plentiful and then disappear from thistle tube feeders for about one month; only to return in late July – August with their fledglings. I photographed this male American Goldfinch pulling seeds from a native thistle seed head yesterday, and the one above in a valley with piles of deadwood where they often nest:
American Goldfinches lining up for seed
Posted in Weather, Wild Birds, tagged american goldfinch, american goldfinches, Arkansas, hundreds, near, Newton County, nijer seed, parthenon arkansas, Purple finches on February 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I have been feeding the American Goldfinches all winter long (since November 15) and I probably have about 150-200 finches at this time. Very few House and Purple finches have visited the feeders so far. I have 4 tube feeders with Nijer Seed and they are always full of hungry finches. This has cost me $120+ per month this year. There are 2 River Birches that they line up on; in a feeding queue, and wait their turn at the feeders. It becomes really chaotic at times.
Lately there has been more fights and and quarrels than in past weeks; they are also beginning to show some yellow from an ongoing molt. These birds do not nest until late summer; when the seeds are plentiful, but will take Nijer seed all year around. American Goldfinch males will turn bright yellow within 30-45 days and the females will stay an olive-yellow color. The males also have a completely black forehead after the molt is complete.
WOW !! a banded American Goldfinch on thistle
Posted in Mountain Scenery, Wild Birds, Wildflowers, tagged american goldfinch, Arkansas, banded, birds, female, nesting is late, NW, nw arkansas, parthenon, seed crop on June 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »
It is very unusual to see a banded bird here in NW Arkansas (for me anyway). Here is an American Goldfinch with a double band on its leg. She is feasting on the huge thistle crop this year. Goldfinches are late nesters here in Arkansas; they wait for the seed crop to come in – so they are just now starting nesting, as the other birds are winding down their nesting activity:
Beautiful Sunday – seems as all the birdsof all colors were busy
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged american goldfinch, Arkansas, blue gray gnatcatcher, eastern bluebird male, Lots of wildbirds migrating this past sunday 4/14/13, male american goldfinch, nature, parthenon, weather on April 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Just a few from a glorious Sunday afternoon April 14th. (Northern Cardinal, female Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow Rumpped Warbler, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher on the nest, makle Eastern Bluebird, male American Goldfinch, Blue Gray Gnatcahtcher, Red-headed Woodpeckers):
Fall Colors
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged american goldfinch, Boston Mountains, coming winter, Male American Goldpinch in October 2012 Biston Mountains Parthenon, nature on October 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Just when the leaves are starting to get pretty, the male American Goldfinch goes through its own transition to a more neutral olive color. It happens every October and by mid-November the molt is complete for the coming winter months. The yellow will start to return to their feathers in mid-March and by the end of April they will be a striking yellow and black once again: This photo taken this morning shows the yellow feathers disappearing just before the rain began:
October male American Finch
