The Hungry Goldfinch

I've had a lot of time to go through my archives lately, and I have found some surprising things. I really forgot I took these pictures back in May. There were just so many things to see back then that this exciting event was swept by the wayside. How could I have done that?

The bird in these pictures is called an American Goldfinch. They are maybe my very favorite type of bird because of their bright yellow color. The first time I ever saw one I was amazed by that bright color. I never knew that a bird could look like that outside of a tropical climate. I've learned a lot of things since that time long ago.

"But what is this bird doing," you may be asking yourself. Well, it's eating the seeds from what looks like possibly a dandelion. It may be some other type of plant because it is so tall, but I'm just not sure. I am sure that this little bird was a very hungry goldfinch.

The goldfinch was so hungry that I was able to get very many pictures while I observed him eating his meal. I have several identical pictures of each of these. He would dig into that plant and then pull out a mouthful each time. It really was fascinating to be able to watch him for so long.

Here you can see the seed stem in his mouth as he pulls it from the plant. One of the things I really like in these pictures is his tail. I don't think I've ever had this good of a look at a Goldfinch's tail before; probably not even when I first took these pictures. I was just so busy finding new conquests back then. Now I'm able to go back and look fondly upon all of it. There is so much!

I want to pause right here to mention that even though I still am not feeling well, I will not be talking about it anymore. This blog has always been intended to be a happy place to talk about nature and my everyday adventures. It was never intended to talk about me, and I am uncomfortable doing so. The nature stories are so much more fun anyway, so that's what my subject will be from here on out until I have something good to say about the other. So let's move on back to the goldfinches.

There were so many goldfinches that day. They really love that park. The one in this last picture is a female. You can easily tell them apart because the male has a black cap and mask, while the female does not. She is all yellow on her head.

They are both very beautiful, and also a fun subject on this cold winter day. I'll have some wintery pictures coming soon too, but these fun warm weather pictures help take the bite from the cold weather. Cold is something that I'm not quite as prepared for this year, but I'll be out there.


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