Winter Goldfinch

People who live here are often surprised when they are told that Goldfinch (The Washington State Bird) winter over in our valley. In the summer the male birds are so easy to spot because of their vibrant yellow feathers and black and white striped wings.

In the winter they lose their mating colors and are less likely to be distinguished from other birds that fly around in the neighborhood trees and bushes. So, a lot of people think they are summer visitors only.

They twitter and chatter in our birch tree and flit down to my entry way to choose between sunflower chips or thistle seed. Some days they only chow down on one. Some days they devour both. I should ask the Audubon experts "why?."

These two pictures were taken through my dusty front door. They fly away if they see me move past.


Last year there was an outbreak of "bird pox" which devastated the finch population locally. It is highly contagious and will pass between the birds at feeders. As a result, I try to clean my feeders every few weeks with a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water.

Some bird lovers are opposed to feeders; disease sharing being one of the reasons.

It is one more thing I need to ponder.