FINCH WATCHING

 

 We have a bird feeder on our front porch and can enjoy a wide variety of birds as they come to feed, from nuthatches and black-capped chickadees to jaybirds and pileated woodpeckers, with many cardinals in-between.  My new favorite are the little finches. They’re the most sociable.  (If you ever decide on a finch for your bird cage, get two, or one will be very unhappy.)

Yesterday the feeder was full all around with house finches.  There was one male, brown with his red head, and several females, all brown.  And down on the porch railing, watching them eat, was a finch all alone.  She was apparently a fledgling yet almost full-size.  Then happily I watched the male fly down to the railing and feed the young bird some seeds from the feeder.  It was so beautiful to see.  Then the male flew back up to the feeder, ate some more with the several females, then returned to feed the waiting young bird again.  After a time, a female finch came down to feed the youngster.

Then a big male cardinal came and landed on the feeder.  Other birds usually would scatter when a large bird comes, and the large bird would expect them to, but none of the finches left the feeder, but only made a space for the beautiful red cardinal to join them. And the cardinal, who is not that sociable with other species, didn’t seem bothered by all the finches.  They ate together.

I like finches.