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Friday, June 29, 2012

Goldfinches

Today, from the air-conditioned kitchen, I stood, riveted, at the sliding glass door, watching goldfinches feast on the stalks of catmint, blossoming and going to seed.

Wow! Bright, bright tiny amazing birds.

Thanks to Wikipedia for both of these shareable images, the goldfinch and the catmint, by Gideon Pisanty, a great name!

By chance, I had promised some of the catmint to the church garden this morning, if it survives the heat. I realize now I should have added "if it survives the goldfinches."

But they are as light on their feet as they are on the wing, not even taking the stalks to the ground as they fed. And now they are gone. Until we meet again!
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3 comments:

  1. CollagemamaJune 29, 2012 at 10:50 PM

    I sense the rapid invasion and departure.

    ReplyDelete
  2. seana grahamJune 30, 2012 at 12:29 AM

    Heard an interesting talk by Jon Young last week. He wrote What the Robin Knows. Maybe you have even posted about it here. Anyway, he would say, remember to listen to those goldfinches. I've been trying to remember to listen more to birdsong since I saw him, instead of just habitually tuning it out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KathleenJune 30, 2012 at 7:58 AM

    Thanks, you two! These were two bright males, who stayed a long time, enjoying the mint. I do love birdsong, but these were quietly grazing, and then flew off.

    I have a poet/bicycling friend who was visited by a flock of goldfinches while biking. It was like being in a bright yellow cloud of them.

    ReplyDelete

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