Goldfinch envy

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

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birding, birds in puddle, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Goldfinches bathing

I’ve just taken a look at today’s weather forecast and the temperature peak will feel like 12 degrees Celsius. That’s a whopping 20 degrees lower than last Friday when I took these photos and our highs here in south-east Wales, during our third heatwave of the summer, reached a sweltering 32º C.

Then, I was feeling very envious of these Goldfinches and their big puddle of water (though it’s at the start of someone’s driveway along a countryside lane, I think this is actually a pipe leak, as we haven’t had rain in sufficient quantity to create this big a puddle, and there is always water at this location).

Next in after the two Goldfinches finished their refreshing dunking were a Robin and a Blackbird, with two Woodpigeons waiting close by for their turn to cool down.

Birding news

08 Thursday May 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Carrion crow, dunnock, Goldfinch, Goldfinches bathing

Spring bird migration passed rather quietly this year, presumably because most incoming birds chose to fly straight through to their breeding locations rather than stop off here on the south Wales coast for a breather. And the breeding process is in full swing with the local birds – they’re either shouting from the bush tops about what a great mate they would be, or rushing around trying to find insects to feed hungry chicks.

In view of the breeding madness going on all around it, I was very impressed with how calm and serene this Dunnock was looking. Perhaps it’s too young to breed, or maybe its first attempt at nesting failed and it hasn’t yet tried again.

Sadly, I’m fairly sure this year’s nesting attempt has failed for my Crow family. For a couple of weeks, the male was desperate for food and quite obviously taking it back to one specific location in the woods, either to feed his mate and/or their offspring. But today both the male and female appeared for food and they had reverted to their usual practice of flying off short distances to stash food amongst low vegetation, then coming back for more. That’s the second year their breeding attempts have failed, which is concerning.

When the stress of life and breeding and chicks all gets too much, what’s a bird to do but find a nice puddle and have a good splash! These Goldfinches really looked like they were having fun.

Still and silent, momentarily

08 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch

This was a rare moment of silence and stillness in a bird that’s rarely either of those things, and it didn’t last long. Perhaps it was curiosity about me and my camera that caused this Goldfinch to pause, momentarily, but it was soon off to flit with the flock, chattering all the while.

230408 goldfinch

Are you ready?

31 Saturday Dec 2022

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birds bathing, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Goldfinches bathing

It’s time to wash off the dirt and grime of another year, enjoy a refreshing sluice down, jiggle and squirm to clean off the final flecks of dust, then shimmy and shake to flick off all that water before enjoying a thorough preen to prepare for the new year ahead. Are you ready? Set? Let’s goooooooooooooo …

221231 goldfinch

Feeding on Ragwort

25 Tuesday Oct 2022

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Ragwort, seed-eating birds

Do you remember my plug for the beauty of a local field full of Ragwort (Seedheads: Ragwort, 11 September)? Well, as I expected that field is now alive with seed-eating birds, enjoying the bounty provided by the Ragwort. Numbers of Goldfinches and Linnets are increasing daily as the news goes out in the bird world that there is food aplenty. And, though it’s not such good news for the seed-eaters, the local Peregrines and Sparrowhawks are also benefitting from the increase in the small bird population.

221025 goldfinch on ragwort

287/366 Utterly charming

13 Tuesday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, British wildflowers, charm of Goldfinches, Goldfinch, Goldfinches eating seeds, Goldfinches eating Teasel seeds, Teasel

I almost always hear Goldfinches before I see them. Their seemingly constant twittering and tinkling always makes me smile, and their bright bursts of yellow and red plumage brighten even the greyest of days. It’s easy to see why these cheeky little chatterers are collectively called a charm.

201013 goldfinch (1)

I’ve been trying to sneak up on feeding Goldfinches for the past couple of weeks but they are always very alert and flit off quickly to the nearest bush or tree when they hear or see me approaching.

201013 goldfinch (2)

Yesterday, I could hear them along the woodland ride in front of me and had a slight bend and some bushes to hide behind, so I finally managed to get some half decent photos.

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As you can see, their sharp, pointy beaks are perfect for poking into tight, narrow spaces, and this small charm of Goldfinches were feasting well, picking the seeds out of the Teasel seedheads. What a delight it was to watch them.

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107/366 In my tree

16 Thursday Apr 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, spring, trees

≈ 2 Comments

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birding, birding out the window, birds in my tree, birdwatching, Blue tit, British birds, Cherry tree, Goldfinch, Willow warbler, Woodpigeon

It’s amazing how much time you can ‘waste’ trying to take photos of all the birds that spend time in a tree. I know because I’ve spent several hours doing just that. I can watch the tree as I sit at my desk/dining table or on my living room sofa (my kitchen/dining/living room is just one big room) so it’s easy to spot birds arriving or to hear them singing and calling, but it’s not so easy to sneak over to the open window to take photos because, obviously, if I can see the birds, they can also see me! So, my clothes drying rack was moved in to service as a not-very-effective bird hide.

200416 1 bird hide

First up was a Blue tit – always cute and very chirpy. As the tree – some kind of ornamental cherry – is now quite leafy, it’s hard to get a clear shot and, of course, the birds don’t exactly pose for me.

200416 2 blue tit

Next, and returning continuously throughout the day, a couple of Goldfinches. Their cheerful twittering has been a joy in recent days.

200416 3 goldfinch

Surprise of the day was this Willow warbler, a real rarity in my urban setting. It visited on and off for a couple of hours then, presumably, continued its migration path, heading north to the Welsh Valleys to find a spot to breed.

200416 4 willow warbler

And so to bed … this Woodpigeon had obviously had a hard day.

200416 5 woodpigeon

266/365 The charm of it

23 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, charm of Goldfinches, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Goldfinch

This charm of Goldfinches numbered at least 60.

190923 goldfinches (1)

They were feeding in the wildflower fields at Cosmeston this morning, plucking at fluffy seedheads, nibbling at the exposed seeds.

190923 goldfinches (2)

They were skittish though, constantly whirling about from one area to another, into the nearby trees and back again, chattering all the while. Such a pleasure to watch!

190923 goldfinches (3)

149/365 Goldfinch foraging

29 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Goldfinches foraging

It’s been cold, wet and windy all day but the family’s got to be fed. So, along with all the other birds with hungry chicks to feed, Mr and Mrs Goldfinch have been working hard despite the inclement weather.

190529 goldfinch (1)

I’ve heard them several times in the ornamental cherry at the front of my house and found them twice foraging in the gutters out back.

190529 goldfinch (2)

I’m not sure what they’re finding – wind-blown seeds of some kind perhaps. It doesn’t look enough to satisfy a nest full of rumbling tums but I guess, for today, it will have to do.

190529 goldfinch (3)

The ones that got away

24 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

≈ 5 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Goldfinch plumage, Goldfinches eating seeds, Linnet

These are just a few of the Goldfinches that have managed to escape the talons of the Sparrowhawk I featured yesterday (and other hungry birds of prey). This seems to be a particularly good year for these little birds, as small flocks of them have been everywhere in recent weeks, in local parks and reserves, flying along Penarth’s cliff tops, in the neighbour’s garden over the back lane, even in the tree outside my living room window.

181024 goldfinches (1) 181024 goldfinches (2)

Although it’s not the sharpest of shots, I particularly like this photo of the Goldfinch flying with a flock of Linnets as it shows its distinctive yellow wing-bars so well.

181024 goldfinches (3)