Goldfinches on my socks :)

14 years ago

I was sitting in my living room just moments ago, and noticed my thistle socks had birds all over them. It's a half dozen or so American Goldfinches getting breakfast. My camera battery is dead so I'm currently charging it. I'm very happy to see they came back. Last year I'd get sometimes 2 dozen or so, that'd be great again, I love their chirps. Been seeing painted buntings some, more often chipping sparrows, pine warblers, catbirds...etc.

Another odd thing was what I think are crows, a huge flock of 50 - 70. They'd land in my big longleaf pine and you'd hear massive crackling sounds of them with the cones. Then a huge whoosh when they all took off.

Gary

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Comments (6)

eileen_nv
14 years ago
Sounds like you have a good yard for birds! I better get my socks out, too - if they're as far south as you are, they should be here by now too. :-D

Eileen
fl_gypsy
14 years ago
Gary, I see that your zone is 10 but you have Brevard to the side. If that Brevard county? I'm wondering because I am zone 10 and am south of West Palm. I put my socks out but so far I've seen nothing eating them; not even any evidence of same. I've never seen a goldfinch in my yard and I just wondered if they are this far south. Do regular finches eat the thistle seeds or any other kind of bird besides the goldfinch?
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so much for my objectivity...there's a sick goldfinch in my house
Q
Comments (8)
OH NO, please go over to the birdwatching forum and read my post about the flufed up birds. What you have there is salmenilla. I had two that I cought and brough in two days ago. They rooseted together through the night, then died the next day. You must take all your feeders down and wash them with a bleach solution. You know the drill I am sure. Clean under the feeders and any bird baths too.There has been a outbreak in our reigon. It is highly contageous and can be transmited to humans and domestic pets. There are several good links in the post over there. This is NOT one of those things that you want to let nature take it's course with. This affects birds in the finch family the most, including pine siskins. I know how badly you felt, I go through the same dilema myself and it was so sad to watch those little birdies die, I was going to take them to the rehabber to be put to sleep, there is nothing to cure it, I am glad they had each other in a warm place to die. So WARNING to anybody in this region, pleas please keep your feeders EXTRA CLEAN especially UNDER them , this is spread by fecies. I am so sorry dirtgirl. Lisa
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A few weeks ago when I went to buy more nyger seed, they were all out, so I bought some 'finch mix'. I have two finch feeders, side by side, so I transferred what was left of the nyger seed into one of the feeders, and filled the other with 'finch mix'. The goldfinches clearly preferred the nyger. Jim
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Comments (2)
Sorry to hear about the goldfinches. I do not know if it is related to the problem you are having but one time I had a similar situation and it turned out to be a batch of bad seed. Dumped out the seed, sanitized the feeder, replaced with fresh seed from a different supplier, and the birds came back. Chickadees used to be a common, friendly sight here - I even had them eating sunflower seeds out of my outstretched hand - but I have not seen a single one in two years now. Very disheartening. I think there are some serious environmental issues going on that we are not aware of (or are not being made fully aware of) that are destroying bird populations or are reducing species' ranges. Your dove story is funny... My goldfinches still feed to the left at least 90% of the time. Quite a funny observation that still makes me chuckle when I watch the little critters feed.
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Comments (6)
A month ago, we had over 40 regularly at the feeders. That was getting expensive. Now, I think what is left is nesting, for they are here in shifts according to gender. There are several females at a time, and then they leave and are replaced w/all males.
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dghays
Original Author
14 years ago
If you look at a detailed zone map, you'll see along the coast it swoops way up here. I am a mile from the intracoastal, so I think that's the appropriate zone for me. I'm not sure other birds eat the thistle, I would think so, seems unlikely only Goldfinches would. Last year I was getting around 2 dozen or so goldfinches, with no socks, only sunflower seed and millet.

Later today the goldfinches came back a couple more times, so I hope they are regulars for the season. I love their funny sounds they make.

Gary
garyfla_gw
14 years ago
Hi
How come nobody heralds the return of the vultures lol??
Okay, I guess it's not quite as romantic as the swallows to capistrano . I guess dull colors and bad table manners don't make for popularity ?? lol
Gee such masters of flight!! Okay they're only looking for road kill but they do it sooo well!! gary
gatormomx2
14 years ago
And just think of the mess if we didn't have Turkey Buzzards as our Sanitation Department !
dghays
Original Author
14 years ago
The vultures never leave around here. I have no problem with them and the important function they serve. I saw some yellow rumped warblers today searching ground areas for bugs I assume, and my goldfinches are still showing up daily, they are on my socks right now :)

Goldfinches on my socks :)

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eileen_nv

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Goldfinches on my socks :)

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