Today I have seen a handsome American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis (L)) on my balcony feeder for the first time. He surprised me when I first saw him, small and unassuming in shape but bright big-bird yellow with black wings crossing his back and clashing with his yellow like crime scene tape. He's been visiting it frequently all day as I watch from the couch, alternately falling asleep, working, and wasting my afternoon. My Audubon guide says that American Goldfinches wait to pair up until late in the summer when tasty seeds tend to be more plentiful. Other species with broader diets are already busy parents, laying eggs and rearing multiple broods of chicks while the Goldfinches are still flocking around in big irresponsible groups.
This makes me smile. The goldfinches have their appointed time for relationship and parenthood, but it's later than the other birds' time. They flock together like anxious graduate students waiting to see how the seeds will shake out before they settle down and start that family. I wonder if my goldfinch has transitioned into family life or if he's still hanging out with all his yellow friends.
Photo by Flickr user Jason Means licensed for non-commercial use by Creative Commons.
Yes indeed. How could this little bird not teach us so much about God's timing? I love that little bird.
ReplyDelete