As the weather grows colder, many sources of food begin to disappear and wild creatures have to work harder to find sustenance. On Tuesday I spotted a small flock of American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) that were busily extracting seeds from the spiky balls hanging from an American Sweetgum tree.
Earlier this month I did a posting that featured a Carolina Chickadee that was also extracting seeds. In that case, the chickadee was actually hanging from the suspended seed balls. The goldfinches seemed to be taking a somewhat safer approach and were clinging to the branches and twisted their bodies to maneuver into the proper position.
As you can see from the first two photos, we finally had a sunny day after a seemingly endless streak of gray days. The bright blue sky really made the yellow feathers of the goldfinches pop—bright colors like these really help to lift my spirits. The final photo seems to have more a wintery feel to it, although it was taken at about the same time as the other two images. It is amazing how a different angle and different lighting can produce images with different vibes.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The last shot here is incredible 👏👏👏
Thanks, Ted. That image is my favorite of the three, although the goldfinch is definitely not quite as bright yellow as the one in the first two shots. 🙂
Might be a female. Gum trees make for great shots 😁
I am not really good at determining the gender of goldfinches, Ted, especially at this time of the year when birds are no longer in their breeding plumage.
Hence my caveat ‘might’ LOL. It’s a win getting these shots 😁😁
Ha, safer but still acrobatic to snag those seeds! Nice captures and you are so right about that pop of yellow.
We’ve been in that extended greyness, too, along with the early sunset. I’m so looking forward to making the turn towards lengthening daylight next week.
Great set of shots Mike! The finches are very determined to get those seeds! Quite acrobatic!
Thanks, Chris. It is amazing the amount of effort that it takes for the little birds to extract those seeds. Of course, I have the same thought when I see people cracking open crab legs, which are pretty popular in the area where I live. 🙂