{"id":14626,"date":"2020-08-31T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-31T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14626"},"modified":"2020-08-28T15:44:56","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T19:44:56","slug":"take-5-go-for-the-goldfinch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-go-for-the-goldfinch\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Go For the Goldfinch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Out of the corner of your eye, a sunny, cheerful flash of bright yellow alights upon your bird feeder and almost certainly means one thing: the American Goldfinch<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost exclusively seed-eaters, the so-called “wild canaries” of the Americas are late nesters relative to most of our breeding birds here in Massachusetts, giving them access to nutritious native thistle seeds to feed their young. Known for their energetic seed-harvesting acrobatics, look for them plucking thistle seeds this time of year and listen for their sweet, enthusiastic song, a long, fluctuating string of warbles and twitters. They are also known to make contact calls, often mid-flight, the most common of which bears the mnemonic phrase po-ta-to-chip.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you know it, the arrival of cooler weather will turn the vibrant yellow males’ plumage a drab brown until the arrival of spring and the return of the breeding season, so enjoy the cheery colors while they last, but the varied sounds and acrobatic antics of these beloved birds can be appreciated year-round in virtually every part of the state<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five photos of fabulous goldfinches to brighten your day. We want to see your nature photos, too! Enter the Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest by September 30<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"American
American Goldfinch \u00a9 Mike Iwanicki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Goldfinch \u00a9 Sarah Keates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Goldfinch \u00a9 Karen Karlberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Goldfinch \u00a9 Mark Uchneat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Goldfinch \u00a9 Anindya Sen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Out of the corner of your eye, a sunny, cheerful flash of bright yellow alights upon your bird feeder and almost certainly means one thing: the American Goldfinch! Almost exclusively seed-eaters, the so-called “wild canaries” of the Americas are late nesters relative to most of our breeding birds here in Massachusetts, giving them access to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":14631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[28,83,84],"class_list":["post-14626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-birds","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/5323Mark_Uchneat26130.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3NU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16289,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-return-of-the-feeder-frenzy\/","url_meta":{"origin":14626,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Return of the Feeder Frenzy","author":"Ryan D.","date":"August 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We are so excited to finally be able to put bird feeders back out, now that the threat of the mysterious avian disease seems to have subsided. Thank you to everyone who heeded the call\u2014taking down feeders was an important precaution during a time of uncertainty and we are grateful\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Goldfinch at a nyjer (thistle) feeder \u00a9 Anindya Sen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/08\/5978Anindya_Sen30167-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/08\/5978Anindya_Sen30167-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/08\/5978Anindya_Sen30167-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/08\/5978Anindya_Sen30167-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6095,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-goldfinches-aglow\/","url_meta":{"origin":14626,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Goldfinches Aglow","author":"Rosemary","date":"August 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"American goldfinches breed relatively late in the year, so you may be seeing more goldfinch activity right now. Look for them plucking thistle seeds and listen for their enthusiastic songs. Here are five images of these energetic birds captured by past participants in our Photo Contest. We'd love to see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/08\/Sash-Dias-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/08\/Sash-Dias-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/08\/Sash-Dias-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16947,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/follow-that-yellow-bird\/","url_meta":{"origin":14626,"position":2},"title":"Follow That Yellow Bird","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"July 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A flash of yellow flies by, and with only a quick glance, it\u2019s hard to tell what it is. Was it a warbler or a finch? With so many brightly colored birds, it\u2019s easy to get your species mixed up. With a few tips, you can tell one yellow bird\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14894,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/siskins-and-grosbeaks-and-purple-finches-oh-my\/","url_meta":{"origin":14626,"position":3},"title":"Siskins and Grosbeaks and Purple Finches, Oh My!","author":"William Freedberg","date":"November 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Most bird species overwinter in the same general area from year to year. Not so with some finches. Around eight species of winter finch become nomadic in winter, sometimes crossing the continent in search of food. One reason these birds don\u2019t stick to an annual pattern is the annually shifting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pine Siskin. Photo \u00a9 Terri Nicker","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/2664Terri_Nickerson20176.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/2664Terri_Nickerson20176.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/2664Terri_Nickerson20176.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/2664Terri_Nickerson20176.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11159,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-bath-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":14626,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: Bath Time!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Splish, splash I was takin' a bath...\" Today's Take 5 is all about birdbaths! Many folks are taking advantage of the warm weather this time of year to spruce up their yards; landscaping to attract\u00a0birds and wildlife is a fun way to make your home more welcoming for both animals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Goldfinch at Birdbath \u00a9 Paula Stephens","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/06\/1351Paula_Stephens9942_FI.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/06\/1351Paula_Stephens9942_FI.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/06\/1351Paula_Stephens9942_FI.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8489,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/bird-seed-basics\/","url_meta":{"origin":14626,"position":5},"title":"Bird Seed Basics","author":"Hillary T.","date":"December 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Want to see birds without ever having to leave home? Look no further than outside your own window. All you need to attract birds is the right type of bird feeder and food. 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