Tag Archives: Lesser Goldfinch

A Flicker, Sparrow and Goldfinch Flew Into Our Yard…

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There were a few bird photos I took this weekend that made me smile. I never know what I’m going to get until I connect my memory card to my laptop and open up Adobe Bridge. That’s the program I use to view my photos. If I like the image, it gets exported to my laptop. It dawned on me that I should backup my photos on a thumb drive! I have a bad track record with backups. Once I lost an entire novel’s manuscript because I didn’t back up my laptop and files started disappearing. I contacted Apple and they couldn’t recover my files and they suspected it was a hardware issue.

The photo above is a Gilded Flicker and it made the cut.

This House Sparrow at the birdbath was a saver, too.

Here he is getting a sip of water after a rainy day.

I had another visit by a Lesser Goldfinch. I wrote about them for Bird of the Week after my first encounter with this tiny little bird. Here are a few more photos:

This photo gives perspective of the size of Lesser Goldfinch next to a House Sparrow. Prior to seeing Lesser Goldfinches, the sparrow was one of the smaller species we had in our yard.

The Lesser Goldfinch is getting ready to make her move!

There she goes!

I hope you enjoyed my photos today. I welcome your feedback.

Which ones did you like and why?

Bird of the Week — Lesser Goldfinch

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This is a female or juvenile Lesser Goldfinch who paid a visit to our birdbath yesterday. This is the first time I’ve seen one. I was pleased to have a new bird for Bird of the Week.

Lesser Goldfinch – Spinus psaltria

I learned that this goldfinch is called “Lesser” because it is smaller than its close relative the American Goldfinch. In North America, It’s the smallest goldfinch and one of the smallest finches.

COLORING:

While the males have black caps and white patches on the wings, the females and juveniles look just like the photo above with dull yellow underparts and an olive back. They also have two white wing bars.

SIZE:
Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8-11.5 g)
Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 in (15-20 cm)

LOCATION:

Lesser Goldfinches can be found in deserts, mountain canyons, weedy fields, in the brush of open areas and urban areas.

FOOD:

They mainly eat seeds from thistles and the sunflower family. They are attracted to backyard feeders especially with hulled sunflower seeds. Birdbaths are also a plus because of their diet of seeds. The Lesser Goldfinch needs hydration.

NESTING:

They do not mate for life, but stay together for breeding seasons and find a new mate the next year. The female chooses an area for a nest in trees or bushes. The nests are built four to eight feet off the ground in a protected area by leaves or branches. While the female builds the nest, the male watches.


She uses leaves, bark, cocoons, grasses and spiderwebs and weaves these together into a cup. The female lines the nest with hair, feathers, wool and fibers. Nests are about 3 inches wide and an inch deep. They have one brood per year with three to six eggs.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Goldfinch/sounds