Goldfinch Mania

We have tons of American Goldfinches at the feeders now, all vieing for perching room. That's because all the baby goldfinches have fledged, swelling the population numbers. Finches love to feed in flocks, so they're all joined together, adults and young. The adults, looking scruffy, are turning from their yellow summer plumage into their drab, brown-gray, winter plumage. You can see clumps of the new, brownish feathers growing in amongst the molting yellow feathers on the adults.

Goldfinches seem to use the feeders more heavily now. Soon, they'll visit the feeders less and feast on the abundant, matured, wild seeds and cones in nature. That's when we'll get the question from our readers, "Where have all my goldfinches gone?"

Have faith, when colder weather sets in, and the wild seeds are eaten, they'll return to feeders. That's true also of many of the bird species that regularly use your feeders. So keep your feeders ready.

American Goldfinches breed across approximately the upper 3/4 of the contry and into lower Canada. In winter they retreat from the northernmost regions and range across much of the country including down into the South and Southwest.