They were there one day, about 15 beautiful goldfinches in my backyard, flitting from thistle feeder to thistle feeder and jockeying for position. And the next day, they were gone, not a golden feather in sight.
A big rainstorm had passed through and I suppose it was more than my little yellow friends could handle. They skipped town, heading for wherever goldfinches go when three inches of rain hits.
My backyard has been the finch capital of the world for the past three months.
I have watched them change colors, the males anyway, from a dull olive to a brilliant yellow, trimmed with streaks of black. The American Goldfinch is among my favorite birds. They are friendly and sociable except to other finches. They are forever squabbling and fussing about who sits where at the dinner table.
Goldfinches, sometimes called Wild Canaries, have only one brood per year, so they have to make it count. They nest in late summer, when conditions are ideal.
The hen, says the Audubon Society, lays 4 to 6 pale blue eggs. They hatch in about 12 days, and then fledge in 11 to 17 days.
Goldfinches are indeed spectacular birds and I hope they come back soon. I have lots more thistle seed that needs to be eaten.