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TheReview

Wednesday, April 24,1991 — A17

Six golden finches visit the Blakeney food bank on Lochside

Speaking of goldfinches! Enid
and Art Blakeney, Lochside, have
had “the week of their lives” with
goldfinches.

Never before have they seen
them in such numbers. And never
before have they had such a flock
as house guests.

Over 40 of these superb birds
have been gracing their shrubs,
trees, lawns, clotheslines and feed-
ers from dawn until dusk.

Goldfinches are not only among
our most colorful birds; they fill
the air with their sweet, spnghtly,
carefree, melodious songs, often
emitted in flight.

R. T. Peterson has stated that

“the responsibilities of life rest.

lightly upon the sunny shoulders
of the goldfinch.”

The male is handsome indeed
with the brilliant yellow of the
body highlighted by areas of
sharply contrasting black and
white, the compelling costume
finally set off by the jaunty jet-
black cap resting on a field of
gold.

The female, in muted colors,
possesses her own charm and
attractiveness. The birds are feed-
ing largely upon sunflower seeds
with which Art continually reple-
nishes his fully half-dozen, tall
feeders.

“A bushel lasts no time at all,”
Art grins. “A small largess to pay
for such a happy occasion.”

Goldfinches are essentially seed
eaters, related to the siskins and
tedpolls. They are usually dilatory

in their return from southem quar-
ters, usually awaiting the boun-
teous supplies of the seeds of
dandelion and thistle available in
summer

The presence of such numbers
of goldfinches in these latitudes so
early in the season is most unu-
sual.

Goldfinches may nest at any
time between June and September,
fashioning their snug nests in
shrubs or trees at heights varying
from a foot or so to 30 feet.

Nesting materials consist of fine
twigs, grasses, plant fibres, bark,
and spider webs. They are usually
lined with the soft down of thistles
and dandelion parachutes.

Only the female fashions the
nest although the male, as in the
whiskey jack, spends much time
encouraging her in her work.

The female assumes all of the
incubation duties, though the male

brings food to her often while she
is on the nest. The male signals his
impending retum with a few soft
chirps and, like the female yellow
warbler, his spouse replies from —
the nest.

On arrival, the male regurgitates
the seeds from his crop into her
open beak and she responds with
vigorous wing-fluttering.

Food consumed by adults and
chicks consists very largely of the
seeds of dandelion, thistle, goats-
beard, wild aster, goldenrod, chi-
cory, wild sunflower, burdock,
evening primrose and leaf and
flower buds.

A few insects and their eggs
have also been recorded.

The flight of these handsome
birds is characterized by serits of
relatively short undulations
although they may hover briefly
during courtship gyrations.

Males have delightful songs dur-
ing the mating season. There is
great variation in detail and in the
length of the songs which tend to
be much longer in the spring at
mating time.

Goldfinches also have the
impressive prenuptial habit of
singing in concert with many
members of the flock joining in an
exuberant chorus.

This is reminiscent of the mag-

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