Welfare Goldfinches

[Pat]

BACKGROUND: When I was an undergrad physics student at San Diego State (GO AZTECS) the Sparrows would bring their fledglings to perch on the edge of the tables at the outside patio of the student union food court. We physics types would make rude comments about the multi-generation welfare cases being displalyed where each generation brought the next to the students to beg for food. The babies would partially extend their wings and wigle them, then tilt their head back and open wide. The parent would come foreward for a crumb and take it and place it in the fledglings open mouth.

FAST FORWARD A FEW DECADES...

Now we feed the finches and notice that the parents bring the fledglings to the feeder where they wiggle their outstretched wings and open wide for the parent to put a de-hulled seed in their mouth. Now in my mellowed advanced perspective I think how sweet, how cute, and am glad my wife took a picture.

Sorry but this cropped little piece was in the glare from the window through which she took the picture. Still you can make out the cute little beggar and its parent waiting to deposit a seed when junior quits flapping and opens its beak.

This is the American Golldfinch (according to my bird books). This late in the season I'm sure this is NOT a fledgling from this parent's first brood.

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[DocHeb]

That may still be a fledgling. Goldfinches are the last birds of the year to make nests and lay eggs. They wait until the thistle has bloomed and gone to seed, and use the the downy portions of the seed to line their nests.

[Pat]

Oh, It is definitely a fledgling but probably not from a second brood as I erroneously assumed based on the time of year. Everything else around here has had a brood or two. Well, maybe not everything as the swallows (winged mud daubers) nesting on my mom's garage were finishing brood #1 a couple weeks ago. We have spied some occupation of the same nest since but not serious like with egg incubation.

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[fivestring]

The guitar player in my bluegrass band sits next to my living room window on practice night.
I have a thistle feeder and 3 thistle socks just outside.
He loves to look out the window and watch the gold finches.

[Pat]

I confess we spend some time watching the feeders too. Lots of goldfinches every year. We get cardinals in small numbers, junckos, house finches (look like redheaded sparrows). We also get lots of redwinged blackbirds. All of the birds seem to coexist well enough to feed except the blackbirds. They don't play nice with anyone.

The little finches and cardinals mingle but NO ONE MINGLES WITH A BLACKBIRD BUT ANOTHER BLACKBIRD.

I have photos of a redwinged blackbird killing and carrying off a goldfinch.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]