Author Topic: American Goldfinch - California / Gordon & Goldie (Read 16983 times)

Kinderchick · « **Reply #40 on:** August 09, 2011, 20:03 »

Thank you, eagle.

I know that we feed our backyard Goldfinches Nyger seed, but wasn't sure what they eat naturally, in the wild.

eagle63_1999 · « **Reply #39 on:** August 09, 2011, 12:55 »

Goldfinches are seed eaters and they eat seeds of thistle, dandelion, ragweed, mullein, cosmos, goatsbeard, sunflower and alder.

Saoirse · « **Reply #38 on:** August 09, 2011, 11:02 »

This is a really interesting site -- I've always enjoyed watching finches flit around the yard, but having the opportunity to watch the nest is fantastic. Sorry to learn that one of the chicks died, but it looks as though the remaining four are going to keep that nest busy! Kinderchick, I too would be interested to hear what they eat in the wild rather than the niger seed they seem to inhale from feeders.

Kinderchick · « **Reply #37 on:** August 09, 2011, 10:56 »

Boy, are those chicks ever getting big! Feeding going on right now. And what a noise they are making!

Can anyone tell me what they eat in the wild?

Kinderchick · « **Reply #36 on:** August 05, 2011, 16:27 »

Apparently, the 5th chick at this site hatched on Aug. 2nd, but died that day.

The remaining 4 chicks appear to be doing well.

Kinderchick · « **Reply #35 on:** August 01, 2011, 10:58 »

4 hatchlings now.

Just waiting for the 5th to hatch. Sure does look squishy in that nest.

irenekl · « **Reply #34 on:** July 30, 2011, 23:31 »

Theres a message at the site saying that the guy would be away all day Saturday so if the cam went down he would not be there to re-boot it. I think this cam goes down somewhat frequently.

sami · « **Reply #33 on:** July 30, 2011, 22:43 »

Is the cam Monday to Friday only, like the pandas?

Kinderchick · « **Reply #32 on:** July 30, 2011, 20:37 »

I wonder why the webcam isn't working? $:-\$ Says it's been "off air" all day.

I was hoping to see 2 more hatchlings today.

Kinderchick · « **Reply #31 on:** July 29, 2011, 21:52 »

Thanks for the birth announcement, cadria!

I watched the video of the 3 hatchlings. Are they ever sweet. They remind me of Phoebe's hummingbird hatchlings. I wonder how they compare in size?

cadria · « **Reply #30 on:** July 29, 2011, 21:01 »

We have three hatchlings!!

Saoirse · « **Reply #29 on:** July 25, 2011, 07:47 »

Cadria, thank you so much! I haven't had a chance to get into the site in depth, but it looks fantastic, definitely all kinds of information. I'm looking forward to checking it out more thoroughly.

cadria · « **Reply #28 on:** July 25, 2011, 01:17 »

Quote from: Saoirse on July 24, 2011, 13:06

Anyone know how many days from hatching to fledging? I agree, it could be a very crowded nest!

Saoirse, I looked up the info on goldfinches:

Incubation Period
12–14 days

Nestling Period
11–17 days

The smaller songbirds tend to have a shorter incubation period and nestling period. Here is an awesome website from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1189

It is a wonderful site with loads of info and as you may know, Cornell Lab of Ornithology is all about the birds!

Saoirse · « **Reply #27 on:** July 24, 2011, 13:06 »

Anyone know how many days from hatching to fledging? I agree, it could be a very crowded nest!

Kinderchick · « **Reply #26 on:** July 24, 2011, 12:58 »

Quote from: birdcamfan on July 24, 2011, 09:17

How are 5 babies going to fit in that nest?? It should be interesting.

I have been wondering the same thing, bcf!

LOL!

cadria · « **Reply #25 on:** July 24, 2011, 12:46 »

Quote from: birdcamfan on July 24, 2011, 09:17

How are 5 babies going to fit in that nest?? It should be interesting.

Ha, ha...good question. Maybe the nest is flexible?

birdcamfan · « **Reply #24 on:** July 24, 2011, 09:17 »

How are 5 babies going to fit in that nest?? It should be interesting.

moka · « **Reply #23 on:** July 24, 2011, 09:00 »

I've been hooked since yesterday. Just the sound of their singing makes me smile.

Also, I saw the male feed the female yesterday afternoon and again, just now this morning. Then she left for a break and the five pale blue eggs are sitting waiting for mama to return.

Saoirse · « **Reply #22 on:** July 21, 2011, 22:33 »

Irenekl, thanks so much for the info about the different seed mixes -- I knew that they love niger seed but hadn't tried the ones you mentioned.

susha · « **Reply #21 on:** July 21, 2011, 22:32 »

That would be so awesome, Ali! They are very beautiful birds. I think I need to change the birdseed in my feeder to Niger!

allikat · « **Reply #20 on:** July 21, 2011, 22:29 »

If anyone has a yard, and can provide a finch feeder with niger seed, you'll attract these beauties!

They are beautiful!!! And it's amazing how close they allow us humans to get! Anyone been 1 foot away? I have!

birdcamfan · « **Reply #19 on:** July 21, 2011, 15:41 »

They seem to be at Winnipeg Beach all summer. It's about 60 miles north so maybe that is just more towards the edge of their favorite territory. Last year a couple of pairs had a late clutch or perhaps a second clutch of eggs. They are sort of like the hummingbirds, they hatch, grow, and fledge in seemingly no time.

My old great aunt always had a domestic canary when I was a kid and I love to hear the gold finches sing. It reminds me of my great aunt and when I was a kid.

eagle63_1999 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 21, 2011, 14:41 »

Yeah July is the time of year the goldfinches lay their eggs, timing it with their food from the wild.

cadria · « **Reply #17 on:** July 21, 2011, 13:52 »

Quote from: Kinderchick on July 21, 2011, 11:30

Quote from: cadria on July 21, 2011, 11:27
...Kinder...funny that they don't stick around for the nyger seed! July is usually when they nest, so if they disappear for a bit, that is probably why.
Or maybe they have found better "pickins" somewhere else, cadria?

True enough!

There are many other factors in play too. Sometimes it takes a while to build up "clientele"

Other bird species may be visiting that might intimidate the goldfinches or you just may not have many of them in your area. If you are in a newer development with not as many older trees, the population may be less. Lots of factors to consider, but never give up!

Kinderchick · « **Reply #16 on:** July 21, 2011, 12:54 »

Thanks for all of your bird info, irenkle. I am really such an amateur birder.

irenekl · « **Reply #15 on:** July 21, 2011, 11:59 »

The Finch Mix is nyjer mixed with ground up seed which is put in the finch feeder. The other two I simply have in the tube feeders. At the tube feeders I have chicadees, gold, purple & house finches, sparrows, etc. Always some action.

Kinderchick · « **Reply #14 on:** July 21, 2011, 11:52 »

Never heard of Medium Chips, irenekl. I live close to Wild Birds Unlimited and that's where we get our Nyger seed. Will have to check out that seed too. Do you require a specialzed feeder for that seed, like one does for the Nyger seed? Thanks for your 2 cents!

irenekl · « **Reply #13 on:** July 21, 2011, 11:39 »

Just my two cents: I have approximately 6 -12 goldfinches in my yard every single day. I feed them Medium Chips, No Mess Blend and Nyjer Finch Mix (all bought at Wild Birds Unlimited). They seem to love all three of these seeds equally.

My family only wishes I would feed them as well as the birds

Kinderchick · « **Reply #12 on:** July 21, 2011, 11:30 »

Quote from: cadria on July 21, 2011, 11:27

...Kinder...funny that they don't stick around for the nyger seed! July is usually when they nest, so if they disappear for a bit, that is probably why.

Or maybe they have found better "pickins" somewhere else, cadria?

cadria · « **Reply #11 on:** July 21, 2011, 11:27 »

Ha ha! Back in the day when I used to live at home, I fed the birds. Mom lost her clothes line to a bird feeder!

Anyways, the ground around the bird feeder was really spongy.

Loads of interesting things growing in the yard! We had an oriole feeder too and were fortunate to have these shy birds visit our yard.

Kinder...funny that they don't stick around for the nyger seed! July is usually when they nest, so if they disappear for a bit, that is probably why.

Saoirse · « **Reply #10 on:** July 21, 2011, 11:03 »

My mother, who lives about 150 km from the city, has a couple of finch feeders in her yard (always filled with nyger seed because, as you say BCF, they have no use for any of the other seeds). Anyway, the finches are around a lot but, as soon as the real heat arrives, it seems that they vanish into the bush and you don't see anything of them for several weeks. Once the temperatures cool, back they come! I love them -- just like flashes of sunshine darting around the green yard.

MayShowers · « **Reply #9 on:** July 21, 2011, 11:03 »

Quote from: birdcamfan on July 20, 2011, 21:36

Oh isn't she a gem! Thank you.

She is just adorable. Thanks cadria

Kinderchick · « **Reply #8 on:** July 21, 2011, 09:36 »

Quote from: cadria on July 21, 2011, 00:32

Kinderchick,
Do you have a nyger seed feeder? Put one of those up and they will stick around! They LOVE nyger seed.

Yes, cadria, we do have a Nyger seed feeder, which we have had for several years, but still the goldfinches don't stick around for long.

Quote from: birdcamfan on July 21, 2011, 06:11

...Just a work of warning, niger is a thistle so try to keep the feeders away from your gardens or you'll be pulling weeds like crazy!

Thanks for the warning about Nyger seed, bcf. I didn't know it was a thistle. We don't have the feeder hanging anywhere near our gardens, though. But I suppose the seeds could be easily transported by either the birds or the wind.

birdcamfan · « **Reply #7 on:** July 21, 2011, 06:11 »

We have a lot of mixed feeders out at Winnipeg Beach and there are hundreds of "prairie canaries" out there. They pick out the niger seed and throw the rest on the ground where other birds clean up. Just a work of warning, niger is a thistle so try to keep the feeders away from your gardens or you'll be pulling weeds like crazy!

cadria · « **Reply #6 on:** July 21, 2011, 00:32 »

Kinderchick,

Do you have a nyger seed feeder? Put one of those up and they will stick around! They LOVE nyger seed.

Glad you all like it.

She is gorgeous.

Where does it say CA?

susha · « **Reply #5 on:** July 20, 2011, 22:01 »

OMG! The commercials before the cam are hilarious - I can't believe they're serious commercials!

Kinderchick · « **Reply #4 on:** July 20, 2011, 21:53 »

Thanks for the link, cadria.

We always get a pair of American Goldfinches at our backyard feeder about the middle of June. They seem to just drop in for about 2 days, on their way to somewhere else. They also stop by for a day or 2 in the fall on their way south for the winter. Wish they would stay longer.

susha · « **Reply #3 on:** July 20, 2011, 21:39 »

It says Northern California, Cadria

Thanks for the link. Very pretty bird. I'm looking forward to seeing the chicks when they hatch. it's always interesting to see the differences and the similarities with the different types of birds. I've gotten a lot of viewing pleasure from Phoebe's Hummingbird nest, also in California.

birdcamfan · « **Reply #2 on:** July 20, 2011, 21:36 »

Oh isn't she a gem! Thank you.

cadria · « **Reply #1 on:** July 20, 2011, 19:48 »

I'm not sure where this camera is as it doesn't say (not that I can see) but am thinking it is in the U.S. She has 5 eggs.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/american-goldfinch

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