In For a Landing

In For a Landing
Originally uploaded by sunspotting.

Loud birdsong from 3, sometimes 4 goldfinch feeding from our sunflowers caught our attention yesterday. Rick took a break from making new flower beds and I took a break from the kitchen to spend quality time with our diminutive visitors.

This female, landing on the flower stalk, is one I'm particularly happy with. They were all so speedy it was hard to keep them in my sight, let alone stay focused on them. But to catch her in mid-landing, I feel very lucky.

The male was a very willing subject. There were times it seemed he was almost posing for my camera!

Both sexes are spectacular subjects. Goldfinch as a species are beautiful. They are excellent examples of how camouflage works, even though they are bright little creatures.

What you are unfortunately missing from the pictures, however, are the great calls they were making while they fed! It was a sweet little piping, two-note song. Loud! You can hear them from clear down the street.

The best thing? the sunflowers are volunteers. We never planted them ourselves, they just sprang up 2 years ago and keep returning. But since their debut, the goldfinch population in the neighborhood has grown. I'll take it!!