Friday, July 13, 2012

Goldfinch


What could be prettier than a male goldfinch decked out in his breeding plumage?



My extended backyard encompasses a patch of ground that I maintain as a food plot for wildlife.  Last weekend I bush hogged the majority of it to encourage tender shoots of new growth to sprout.  In the middle of the plot there was a stand of thistle and mullen which I left standing.  Thistle attracts a large variety of insects and the ripened thistle seed heads are a favored food of the goldfinch.


With some of the mullen and thistle seed pods ripening I set up in a cover strip this evening to photograph the brilliant little goldfinches.  In less than an hour the goldfinches returned to feed with the ones landing closest to me perching on the dried mullen stalks.

While a closely mowed lawn appeals to the human eye allowing native plants to grow and mature where possible, along with mowing every year or two to keep down woody growth, provides a much more attractive setting for wildlife. 

8 comments:

Elaine said...

Beautiful!! I love the bright yellow of the goldfinch against the blurred purple of the thistles.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Gorgeous pictures. These birds are like drops of sunshine.

Olga said...

Such a beautiful and cute bird!

Kenny Isaksson said...

Hi Coy
Very nice shot on the Goldfinch!!!
I wish ve had these is Sweden:)
Greetings Kenny

Brian King said...

Gorgeous shots!

Unknown said...

Beautiful. They're so colourful. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Montanagirl said...

Brilliant shots! Love his bright yellow with the muted coloring of the background.

Chad Oneil Myers said...

I like the color pop in that first image, but I think the last image is the calendar shot.