Gold Finches . . .

We are now seeing the little Finches in their summer color, bright yellow for the males. 
The females do not change color.

The behavior is different now.  Instead of flocks of birds of a feather attacking the feeders, we see territorial behavior.  Only one or two birds on the feeders at one time.  Usually a female and a male together.  If they are not matched even though it may only be one bird or either sex, if it is not a mate it gets chased off the feeder by the dominant bird.  So we see a lot of that kind of activity now.

The males are definitely in their best of summer breeding colors.  They are very bright yellow hence the name Gold Finches.  Alas the female remains in her normal colors, much more drab in color.

But even as I look out at the feeders now, each one has but one bird on it.  Before the color changing occurred there would be up to five birds per feeder.  Now it is usually just  two max, and it is a male female combination.

The wind is ripping today, up to 20 mph.  That does not seem to bother them, they hang on and pick away at the seed in the sacks.  The sacks have very course weave and it allows the Nyjer seed to poke out.  The birds pull the seed and eat it.  They may do that straight up or inverted.   Makes not difference to them.

I will soon have to reload the feeders.  We have plenty of Nyjer seed yet to feed them.  Nyjer is sometimes spelled Niger.  The seed is also referred to as thistle seed but is not related to the normal thistle we see around here or in the states for that matter.  The seed has been treated, heated up, and thus will not sprout here, or if it does it is stunted and does nor reproduce.

So the Gold Finches have not left us, but rather have begun to pair up.  Once they are mated, they become very very territorial.  And as usual some of them have not migrated.  The experts say they are around us year round, we just do not see them as there are plenty of food for them besides the Nyjer seed.