Goldfinches are back!

... And so am I. It's been a very hectic fall at work. My 6-month project, started in July was suddenly due by mid-September. And then there was the rollout, and next year's schedules. Please forgive me if I didn't feel much like blogging when I came home.

But the holidays give us a chance to rest, so I have a few pics to share.

We've had a few goldfinches here and there for the last couple of weeks, but they showed up in flocks just before Christmas (as usual). I've tried several times to get a good picture -- there have been a couple of challenges. First we've moved the thistle socks rather close to the windows. Well that's not quite accurate -- when we installed the porch, it made them seem closer to "people". And secondly, the weather has been overcast and gray for the last week and more... depressing!

Here's a goldfinch up close -- its the one in the top right of the picture above.


You may be thinking to yourself that these don't look much like Goldfinches -- after all, they're not very "gold". This is their winter plumage -- more a gray-green. To see the male goldfinch in his breeding colors, see the site at Cornell, or alternately at NatureWorks