Many, many weeks have gone by with very little Goldfinch activity and suddenly the numbers have jumped 10 fold! I was seeing only 3-4 finches over the past month and then last week there were 3-4 dozen. I figured this was the time to try my yearly photoshoot in the backyard.
It started as a test when folks were saying birds don't like birders wearing white. Really? So, one morning, I dressing all in white except for the blue gardening shoes and sat 10 feet from the Goldfinch feeders. 30 minutes later, I had the best shots ever of my backyard Goldfinches. At least they don't seem to mind white.
To me, it is more about body language. If birds don't sense you are trying to eat them then they tend to allow closer approach at home and in the field.
Since then, this has become a yearly event for me as I try, at least once every season, to get some up-close Goldfinch shots. Not always in white but always sitting as close as I can. Then I wait for the finches to build their trust, usually after 10-15 minutes, and fire away. This is the first year I have tried with the bigger lens but all shots were taken with me sitting out in the open about 10 feet away from the feeders.
The first bird to show up in the yard was not a finch but a Gray Catbird! I was missing our annual resident this year but here was one at least passing through.
I didn't have too long to wait for the first scouts to drop down to feed. It is hard to tell the birds from the falling leaves at this time of year (Florida oaks drop most of their leaves just before the new ones emerge right before Spring unlike other trees that drop them in the Fall) as the finches sit in the branches and pretty much fall down toward the feeders.
The females are always first to arrive.
They sometimes take a quick glance at me after they land to make sure I will stay put. Then they begin feeding as if I wasn't even there.
Another finch waits its turn.
One of the Camphor trees from the driveway dropped a rather large branch a couple months ago and I decided to 'plant' it near the thistle feeders so that when this day would come I could try for more natural looking shots. Seems to have worked nicely and this is one of my favorite shots of the morning.
I really enjoy seeing all of the communal feeding. Sometimes there are a dozen finches all bunched up on the sock feeder.
Eventually, the males begin to arrive once they see that the females aren't being gobbled up. Though a fully yellow male is a gorgeous site, I rather enjoy the molting stages with the mix of Winter and Spring in the feathers.
Thistle and sunflower kernels...yum...
"Are you sure that giant eye is OK?"
Which feeder to choose?
"Come on, dear. It looks like the buffet is in full service. Look, there's Gertrude!"
Though the newly leafing oaks blocked a lot of the sun, I think is was a nice photo session. Within about a month, all of our Goldfinches will be gone and I will have to begin the Winter vigil all over again.
Thanks for the time, kids. Have a safe trip back North.
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