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Usually goldfinches are regular customers at our feeders, often numbering as many as 2 dz appearing at a time. The feeders are rarely devoid of at least a few munchng away at the oil seeds, all year long...Until this year. For the past 3 months visits by goldfinches are only occassonal, and only one or two individuals at a time.
We're rural, so land use has not changed at all, and weather has been average...I have noticed that oriole populations are up a little and cat birds are much more frequntly seen than in previous yrs. We're in Brood XIII, so we have no cicadas to speak of to affect food availability.
Is this a local phenomenon to our area (s/Cen WI) or are other birdwatchers seeing this too?
Here in southern New England, we have noticed fewer goldfinches whenever there are more purple finches and house finches. The goldfinches seem to be more timid. Maybe they respond the same to the increased number of orioles and cat birds ect.
Here in NJ, we have definitely noticed a decrease in the number of goldfinches we are seeing the last few years. It makes me sad, because they are so gorgeous. I did see a male ripping petals off my zinnias to get to the fresh seeds the other day; I always find that so endearing.
Other birds are not seen in lower number, I'll discount disease....Other birds are not so greatly increased that competion would be a problem....but both are good suggestions...Land use changes (more building/ess natural habitiat) may explain this for you urban/suburbanites.
I did a little web search and found that all sorts of finches are subject to fairly wide natural population swings
evry few years. We were higher recently. We're down now. (I hope this is the reason.)
The 17 yr cicada and the periodic lemmings' March to the Sea (does that really happen?) are more extreme examples of a common natural phenomenon.
Population dynamics are an amazing study and anyone interested in the environment should familiarize themselves with the subject-- It could save a lot of needless hand wringing and money wasted on non problems....Look up N-K Population Model.
I have been seeing 3 to 5 finches a day drinking water from the bird bath. I have been replacing the water daily to give them cooler water. It is very hot and dry here right now.
May I ask a goldfinch question of the goldfinch experts? I know the male goldfinches with their bright yellow, black cap and pinkish beak but have you ever seen a female or a male goldfinch with a grey beak (and no black cap)? I'm starting to think it might be a juvenile male. It's also not as dull as the females usually are but it's not as bright as the males usually are, either. No streaking. Black wings with white bars. I have a good photo of it which I can post if you are as puzzled as I am about the grey beak. It was taken in Delaware on June 11, 2020 if that helps. This is not the time of year I usually see them but with Covid and all, I had to wait for the Delaware governor to lift the out-of-state quarantine in 2020 so instead of end of April/early May, I was there in June.
I do not have a backyard but I have seen less goldfinches this year than usual when I'm out photographing butterflies in Tennessee. I've seen less butterflies, too, but that's another story.
May I ask a goldfinch question of the goldfinch experts? I know the male goldfinches with their bright yellow, black cap and pinkish beak but have you ever seen a female or a male goldfinch with a grey beak (and no black cap)? I'm starting to think it might be a juvenile male. It's also not as dull as the females usually are but it's not as bright as the males usually are, either. No streaking. Black wings with white bars. I have a good photo of it which I can post if you are as puzzled as I am about the grey beak. It was taken in Delaware on June 11, 2020 if that helps. This is not the time of year I usually see them but with Covid and all, I had to wait for the Delaware governor to lift the out-of-state quarantine in 2020 so instead of end of April/early May, I was there in June.
I do not have a backyard but I have seen less goldfinches this year than usual when I'm out photographing butterflies in Tennessee. I've seen less butterflies, too, but that's another story.
May I ask a goldfinch question of the goldfinch experts? I know the male goldfinches with their bright yellow, black cap and pinkish beak but have you ever seen a female or a male goldfinch with a grey beak (and no black cap)? I'm starting to think it might be a juvenile male. It's also not as dull as the females usually are but it's not as bright as the males usually are, either. No streaking. Black wings with white bars. I have a good photo of it which I can post if you are as puzzled as I am about the grey beak. It was taken in Delaware on June 11, 2020 if that helps. This is not the time of year I usually see them but with Covid and all, I had to wait for the Delaware governor to lift the out-of-state quarantine in 2020 so instead of end of April/early May, I was there in June.
I do not have a backyard but I have seen less goldfinches this year than usual when I'm out photographing butterflies in Tennessee. I've seen less butterflies, too, but that's another story.
Your non-typical specimen was probably a juvenile, but maybe just a non-typical adult-- kinda like a 7ft tall human is not typical of the species. but does occur in a small percentage of individuals....The very word "typical" means "pertaining to the type."..In taxonomy, the "type specimen" is one selected for it's average characteristics, and it is the representative that all other specimens are measured/compared to.
In regards your comment about butterfly numbers, I've seen the opposite here-- but that may be due to a local change in habitat. I have a half dozen volunteer colonies of milkweeds that grow around my meadow. This year, a new colony popped up in a space that gets shade for half the day, and the grey hairstreaks, great spangle fritillaries and monarchs absolutely swarmed those plants, greatly favoring them to nearby stands in the full sun. ....Habitat availability is the most important factor in maintaining natural populations.
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