Mined from the notebooks, Tuesday morning, July 14, 2020. Posted Sunday morning, August 2.
Goldfinches! One the other morning, first one I’ve seen in the backyard since we landed. Flew up to the oven vent next to the kitchen window, grabbed the mesh that's there to keep birds like him out, took a look in, then flew off. This morning a small flock of four perched in the tree branches in the corner of the property where the woods open up to the side yard. It’s eight-thirty. I’m just back in from a walk around the backyard and out front. The sparrows who have a nest in the roof gutter were keeping aloof in a nearer tree at the wood’s edge whose branches reach out to touch the eaves giving them a perch from which they can watch over the nest. Sparrows and goldfinches routinely mingle but not in proximity of each other’s nests, I guess. The goldfinches were too high up and far away to study without my binoculars and I left them on the desk on the porch. My pocket camera was in my pocket, but I forgot that. Some birder.
One more goldfinch. A bold male on the telephone wire angling over the driveway. He stayed perched there even as I made my way cautiously his way until I was practically directly below him. He saw me coming and watched with a wary expression. I stopped and he stared. We studied each other for a minute or two. He didn’t seem to find me as interesting as I found him. He was just curious about what I was up to---down to. He won our staring contest though, and he remained put while I headed for the door, aiming to study another cup of coffee.
Filed under Virtual Bird Watch. Like I said, I forgot I had my camera with me. Probably wouldn't have mattered if I had. Reaching into my pocket for it would have startled the goldfinch on the wire and he'd have flown off before I could take his picture. Photo up top is by Adam Jackson, courtesy of the Macaulay Library via the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website All About Birds.
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