Enjoying the antics of Goldfinches

This time of year in North Florida we are enjoying the antics of goldfinches. This beautiful bird usually arrives here in our area around February but this year I began spotting them in December. I immediately put up my thistle feeders. They will also feed on black oiled sunflower seed but prefer thistle. There are socks made for this purpose but I have found that the squirrels tear them up so I use a feeder specifically designed for thistle. We are able to enjoy them for only two to three months when they fly farther north, our area is merely their winter range. Their year round residence is in eastern mid-America and their breeding range is more north but in the east.

This is a thistle feeder in my backyard. We see a lot of them here but not nearly what we see at our farm.

This past weekend we went up to our farm in South Georgia and in the country the goldfinches are everywhere. They usually stay in the area at the farm about a month longer than at home. Click on to the picture to enlarge, you can see them waiting in line in the tree for their turn.

This feeder is filled with black oiled sunflower seed and they were lined up at this feeder also.Goldfinches are such beautiful birds to watch and I never tire of them.

Our farm is just a small weekend getaway but we enjoy it. There is always some kind of fascinating wildlife to entertain or some beautiful flowers blooming. Our drive is lined with Bradford Pear trees and they were just beginning to bloom when we arrived this weekend.

I couldn't resist bringing some stems of these Bradford Pear home. Little did I know that they had a somewhat peculiar fragrance. I am enjoying them but I'm thinking they may need to go out soon.

I am sharing this post with other participants at Susan's Outdoor Wednesday blog party at A Southern Daydreamer.