Kay, Bob, and CObirders, Having barely birded in the state of CO since taking a job with Opticron optics last February, I take the opportunity to at least watch my feeders when home. My fiance and I have started a once-a-month birdwatching club for kids in Olde Town Arvada. After visiting the Ralston Creek Trail with mixed results last month, the kids came to our house yesterday to learn about feeder birds and backyard habitat. Imagine my surprise at seeing two new yard species - Lesser Goldfinch and Pine Siskin - before their arrival. I had one male and 3 female-types of Lesser Goldfinch and two Pine Siskins that accompanied all the usual suspects. I've started using a mix of finely ground sunflower seed and nyjer in my thistle feeders this year and have enjoyed a family of Northern Flickers (the adult female is an intergrade) tonguing out the sunflower all summer. Lately, my Downy Woodpeckers are enjoying this feeder more than the suet too. The kids had a blast culminating with an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk taking a House Sparrow and perching on the open ground for a while before retiring to a tree to pluck it. When it departed we went out and looked at the pile of feathers. Very cool! Anyway, the goldfinches must have just been passing through as I haven't seen them since the hawk episode.
Good birding, Chip Clouse Arvada, CO On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 11:15 AM, Kayleen A Niyo <k...@kayniyo.com> wrote: > Bob and all,**** > > ** ** > > I still have several Lesser Goldfinches (LEGO) at my thistle feeders at > the N base of N Table Mt.**** > > ** ** > > When I took to heart the post on NEBirds about rancid thistle seed and NO > goldfinches and started using fresh seed on 6/26/12, I have had my usual > dozen or two LEGO and a few AMGO at each of my two thistle feeders all > summer. The past couple weeks when the cold fronts go through it ramps up > to a couple dozen fighting over a place at the feeders. Now I have 6 or 8 > LEGO on the feeders every day including at least 1 green-backed male. A > week ago I still had fluttering-winged juvs begging at the feeders. All > summer I had 2 black-backed males on the feeders at the same time. I have > had a couple black-backed males every summer; see bottom of page at > http://www.kayniyo.com/birds_finch.htm.**** > > ** ** > > Now the annual dilemma is how to feed safflower or black oil to other > birds without getting the neighboring horse stable flocks of pigeons on the > ground too! And my fem flicker was calling from my patio roof on the Wed > saying “where is my winter suet cake?” Shades of Bob Spencer’s recent > posts!**** > > ** ** > > Kay**** > > Kayleen A. Niyo, Ph.D. > Niyo Scientific Communications > Kay Niyo Photography > k...@kayniyo.com**** > > www.KayNiyo.com > ______________________________ > 5651 Garnet Street > Golden, CO 80403 > Phone: (303) 679-6646 > Fax: (866) 849-8013 **** > > ** ** > > *From:* cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *birderbob > *Sent:* Saturday, October 13, 2012 10:05 PM > *To:* cobirds@googlegroups.com > *Subject:* [cobirds] Late Lesser Goldfinch Jefferson County**** > > ** ** > > 10/13/12 While birding with Urling's Beginning Birding Class at Wheat > Ridge Greenbelt we encountered a mixed flock of goldfinches in the tall > willow trees at the southeast corner of Bass Lake (Bass is the smaller lake > east of the larger West Lake). I had set up my scope to allow the class > members view the birds and I focused in on a male Lesser Goldfinch. > Several of the class members took turns watching this particular bird > through the scope for a couple of minutes - I also rechecked the position > of the scope several times to make sure it was kept on the bird. I was > careful to point out the distinguishing features emphasizing the black back > and the yellow front of this species (as a rule we are not allowed to > identify the bird for them, they must make the i.d.)**** > > **** > > After the flock moved out of sight (to the west) in review for the class, > Urling talked about the American Goldfinches - and several of us revealed > that we had been watching a male Lesser. She advised me to post this on > COBirds saying that it was significant because it is so late in the > season to see a Lesser Goldfinch.**** > > **** > > Bob Santangelo**** > > Wheat Ridge**** > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/cobirds/-/qjRjS724oZsJ. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > **** > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
