My very first encounter with these exquisite sonnets of perfection was in February 2011. A friend talked about a hanging a sock of thistle and seeing if any finches would visit. The idea was intriguing, and off I went to Home Depot and bought a kit of a white sock and a bag of thistle to fill it with. The sock had a loop at the top to tie it shut and the loop could be used to hang the whole contraption from a tree limb. I hung my spanking new blinding white thistle sock from a low limb of the Oak tree right outside the kitchen window.
I came indoors and sat by the window looking intently at the white sock swaying sensuously in the mild breeze. We were fortunate that winter in Texas and the temperatures stayed a very salubrious 60F. Five minutes went by. No Goldfinches yet. Then ten minutes passed and still no visitors. Then fifteen minutes slid away, I began feeling a little foolish for frittering away time looking out the window at my new shining white thistle sock. I was just about to turn away and get on with the tasks of the day, emptying the dishwasher, preparing breakfast, feeding the dog and all the other stuff that constitutes my life. A flash of black and gold flew by and a very small bird clung, with determination in every sinew of his little black feet, to the fabric of the thistle sock. The bird penetrated the fabric with his small sharp dark gray beak and immediately withdrew it, drawing back his brilliant gleaming black head and looked around with satisfaction. I watched, with my heart in my mouth, almost afraid to breathe for fear the little bird would be frightened away.
That was the beginning of these miniscule nuggets of gold and onyx visiting my back yard in search of a steady supply of thistle. Since that fateful day in February 2011 when I spread a banquet for the Goldfinches, not a day has gone by that these energetic birds have not come for their repast. The birds are year round residents, year round visitors to the feeders. Lesser Goldfinches especially like the tube feeders that only finches can extract seeds from. A thistle sock is truly an irresistible attraction to the Lesser Gold finches. I have seen the birds, adults, juveniles, males and females come and eat voraciously, yet delicately and gracefully, day after day. Regardless of weather, rain or shine, the goldfinches grace the feeders. Heavy winds are a major impediment to these small light delicate birds, those are the days when they come in more tentatively and fly about very carefully. On all other days they come charging in, large happy flocks, singing, chirping and chatting delightfully.
The Lesser Goldfinch is also called The Dark Backed Goldfinch. The Latin name for the Lesser Goldfinch is Cardeulis Psaltria. Lesser Goldfinches, American Goldfinches and Lawrence’s Goldfinches belong to a small group of the Goldfinches found in North America. The Lesser Goldfinches are can be seen from Western Washington State, all across the Rockies and the entire Southern United States down into Mexico. In South America the Lesser Goldfinches can be seen from Peru to Venezuela. Their diet includes weed seeds and tree buds.
The Lesser Goldfinch when fully grown is about 4 inches in length and weighs about a third of an ounce. The males can be identified by their gleaming black head and back, brilliant yellow belly and distinctive white and black wings. The females are olive green with white or soft yellow belly. The females are slightly smaller than the males. For rather tiny birds they have fairly strong gray bills. The males and females trill and sing and intersperse their song with piercing whistles. The Lesser Goldfinches spend most of their time in flock and the sounds they evoke can be impressive for their size.
Mating occurs in late spring and the females lay about 3 eggs in a small nest in early summer. The Lesser Goldfinches are among the last birds to set up nests and are called “late nesters.” The male and female Lesser Goldfinches are monogamous during the mating and breeding season. The birds get new partners every year for the breeding season. The females build the nest, tend to the eggs until they hatch, and then raise the chicks to fledging stage. It is a 3 to 4 week process. The males participate minimally in the process of rearing the young. Life expectancy in the wild is documented to be close to 7 years, if they make it past their first year.
The birds are year round residents in the Hill Country of Texas.. They rarely migrate even when it is quite cold. If they do migrate it is for just a few miles to slightly warmer location with a decent supply of food and water. The Lesser Goldfinches with their brilliant plumage and their eager energetic flocks are welcome visitors to the thistle feeders in my backyard. They are a sight calculated to put a smile on the face of every bird watcher, every single day of the year. Who could ask for anything more from a fellow living creature?