Goldfinch photograph by Matt White
Goldfinch photograph by Matt White |
|
|
By Matt White Often by late February
the mercury defies the calendar and begins to soar to heights that seem
more typical of late spring or even summer.
When this happens, the birds begin to sing exultant love
songs and the winter-weary among us
realize that spring is near. In
the woods the dog-tooth violets perk up and bloom like little crowns and
the tops of the elm trees become tinged with an ever so light coating of
pastel green. In fact, although
temperatures in the 80s at this time of the year may seem unseasonably
warm, they are actually not that unusual—at least not in this area.
While the rest of the country is still enduring snow storms and
blizzards, we are greeted by shirt sleeve weather.
In fact, for me the signal to bring out the shorts is the first day
that the smell of warm moist earth and fresh grass begins to permeate the
air. It is an exciting time
to be outdoors. Yet these
smells can mean only one thing… Tomorrow the American
Goldfinches will be nearly all gone from my feeders. Their sudden
disappearance after the onset of warm weather causes some to think these
little feathered gems have departed northward to the land where they lay
their eggs and insure the survival of the species.
Not so. In fact, they
haven’t departed at all. They are still around, reveling, no doubt, like
we are in the balmy southern weather.
The reason they have left our feeders is because… well it is
because they have found something better to eat. They have just
disappeared off to the woods where they will party in the tops of the
trees like the dogs in a certain children’s story I read over and over
again when I was younger entitled Go
Dog Go. I suppose the avian equivalent would be Go Bird Go.
See these birds. See them going away fast.
They are going to the tops of the elms trees where they will dine
on tender leafy greens that are budding—the best meal the forest has to
offer. And dine they do. In
fact, they consume so many budding leaves that it is a wonder the trees
ever have leaves on them. When
there are a good many birds in a tree eating, the buds they are constantly
dropping look like a green rain falling from the trees. Then as the elm leaves
become too large, the goldfinches switch to the oaks and then to the
hackberries and finally the pecans. Finally
by May, when buds are no longer available, they may return to our feeders
if we haven’t grown weary of waiting and dumped out our seed and put
away up the feeders. They will be much more attractive then too. In winter, goldfinches
are yellow, beige and brown—a costume that helps them blend in to the
muted colors of winter and not become a meal themselves for a passing bird
of prey. But by May, they
undergo a dramatic transformation. Wearing
canary yellow clothes carefully designed to appeal to the females, the
males are especially handsome at this season.
Even though you may have few takers, it is important to keep fresh
seed out through the spring, but especially in early May.
Goldfinches prefer seed that is not too stale or dry (I wonder
why?)
|