Love That Finch

Love this Finch Earl Plato
“Sometimes goldfinches one by one will drop from low-hung branches; little space they stop, But sip and twitter, and their feathers sleek, Then off at once, as in a wanton freak; Or perhaps to show their black and golden wings, Pausing upon their yellow flutterings.” -John Keats, 1816. It's obvious Keats loved the goldfinch for he writes about them in other of his poetry works. The goldfinch with its black and yellow plumage is a much loved bird as Jerome Jackson writes in the magazine, Birder's World. I would agree. In my search for my Grandma Plato's ancestors, the Pennsylvania Dutch, Saylors and Sherks, I discovered the distelfink bird or thistle finch. In the Pennsylvania Dutch country in and around Lancaster County it symbolizes the friendly rural peace loving people of German descent. It is our American goldfinch. Thistle finch is an appropriate name for American goldfinches because of their preference for thistle seeds as food and thistle down for the lining of their neat, little nests. Jerome Jackson says they even occasionally build their nests in thistle plants. I haven't seen this perhaps you have. This report from a birder's field note: "A thistle on which a Goldfinch had been feeding was examined and on its leaves and on the ground beneath 67 seeds were counted. They appeared perfect but close inspection showed a slit through which the meaty kernel had been deftly removed." American goldfinches feed on an abundance of other seeds, including elm, alder, and pine, as well as many insects. I had a regular attendance of finches, house and purple, and the occasional American goldfinch at my feeder. Putting out food to attract birds is a significant factor contributing to the expansion and growth of American goldfinch populations. We read that little over a century people began to feed wild birds. American goldfinches are often abundant feeder birds, especially in winter and early spring. They are quite social and you can hear their familiar "per-chic-o-ree." Ross Bearss of Ridgeway had a goldfinch feeder. The tubular feeder has the holes or openings for the seeds below the perch poles. Apparently only the goldfinch can hold on to the perch and swing down and around to the seed. Other birds including the house finch can't accomplish this feat. Check out this feeder at your nature store. Hey, it’s a great gift for goldfinch lovers.