Nice going! and Congrats! I loved birds, and was one of those rare kids that did well with them. Did I ever mention that I raised a sparrow from infancy, a little older than your cockatiel babies? I didn't realize at the time how strongly they could imprint. When it was time to release her, she wasn't going anywhere, firmly! ...so we kept her. Cricket-cricket was so tame that I regularly took her for walks on my shoulder when I lived in a basement apartment so she too could enjoy sunshine and fresh air. She lived for TEN YEARS! and opted to leave the planet just as we were preparing to move to our hobby farm in the country. SHe was so beloved to us, and so sorely missed that, although we're by no means official, we named our enterprise after her - 'Lil Cricket Farm'.

Our First Ever Hummingbird. On the way to the Kitchen tonight I saw a tiny bird fly in and land on our hummingbird feeder. About the only detail I saw looked like a flash of yellow. As I crept closer to the French doors that open onto the deck, the tiny thing saw me and darted away. Wings were a blur but it could certainly move fast. I suspect that it will get used to us eventually. We had figured they hadn't found us yet but there it was. I should have changed the food two days ago so I got out there right away and change it out for some fresh food. At least the food is no longer just going to waste as we empty it out. But it was quite exciting to get our very first ever hummingbird. The feeder was a bit low on solution, too so I think that perhaps they have been working on it for a few days and we didn't realize it. It's cleaned out and fresh now so I'll be tracking it over the next few days to see if they drain it down. At some point I'll set up a film camera on a tripod with a remote release and try to get a close up photograph of one on the feeder.

Dandelion seeds. Not what you probably want to plant but real fun watching goldfinches attact the seed heads from the air. When one piece of fluff gets away they do all kinds of acrobatics to catch the seed. Plant some zinna's and other of the plant foods recomended for your area. In my area the finches are on their nests and are less likely to visit feeders. When fledged they will sometimes come to the feeders. Watch for sparrow like birds on the ground near the feeders. The baby birds will put their wings out and shake them to get parents attention. Baby finches do not have the same coloration that mature birds do.

Interesting. I knew Brown headed cowbirds could not be raised by Goldfinches because they feed their young seeds, but I didn't know House Finches did also. I looked it up at Cornell's lab of ornithology, and they confirm what you have read. I guess that means you don't have to worry about the young House Finches. I've also read about retaliation from the Cowbirds, so I guess just leaving it there should protect the baby House Finches best.