Bird Seed

[Rusty]

Yesterday I enjoyed sitting on the patio watching gold and purple finch working over the fading cone flowers. They would zoom in, alight right on the flower and peck away between their feet, savaging the seedhead. Then, it was hit the finch feeder for dessert :)

Today I was ready but they didn't come back. All I have to show is proof of their efforts.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1YmgkFltjqI2Qr38vTJOFhdiayVP_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1YmgkFltjqI2Qr38vTJOFhdiayVP)

Rusty

[Inspeqtor]

Rusty,

To bad they did not return for you... but it is still a good picture of the flower :)

[Chuck S.]

Rusty, they're probably tanking up for their long migration south.....:)

[Rusty]

Yeah, Chuck, you'll be seeing our Midwestern finch before too long.

Our newspaper today said Poland was expecting a harsh winter. It seems the storks left a week earlier than normal for the 6,000 mile migration to Africa. What I found interesting, maybe you know this but it was news to me, was that the juveniles depart around August 24 and the adult pairs leave several weeks later. I assumed the adults would have to show the kids the way the first time.

Also learned that about 25% of the entire world stork population is in Poland when not in Africa.

Rusty

[Chuck S.]

Rusty, that's fascinating - I certainly did not know that. There's only one stork species regularly occurring in the US - the Wood Stork - and they're very localized: South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Not sure who brings the babies to the rest of the country.....:confused:

[Cmcburnett]

Rusty too bad you missed the finches, they are very pretty birds. We still have a few humming birds, I imagine they will be leaving soon.

[nkeevers]

Sorry you missed the finches...but that's an excellent flower shot!

[lowbone]

Rusty, they're probably tanking up for their long migration south.....:)

Purple Finches are partial migrators. They only go as far south as they have to in order to find food. The weather in Wiisconsin is still very warm ( 90 degrees today ). It will be a couple of months and some measurable snow before the finches even think about leaving. Birds learn to exist on more then one food source. Today they might be eating bugs bur tomorrow they might return to those cone flowers.

[lowbone]

Forgot to add this. Goldfinches stay all year round. The males will start to lose their color soon and will take on the drab yellowish green winter coat

[Lorri]

I was just listening to the finches chatter while they were eating the seed heads in our garden! They're such great talkers!

[Chuck S.]

Forgot to add this. Goldfinches stay all year round. The males will start to lose their color soon and will take on the drab yellowish green winter coat

Lowbone, the goldfinches definitely migrate, at least some of them. Here in Houston, we only have them in the winter, when, as you said, they're drab in the extreme. We have to go well north in the summer to see them in their spectacular yellow suits!