Face Off

Renaissance painters sometimes put goldfinches into pictures of the Madonna and Child. Paintings of that era are always stuffed with symbolism, and the red-masked goldfinch was viewed as a portent of the bloody crucifiction that awaited the child

I have never seen a goldfinch nest. Someone with a sense of poetry must have written the Wiki page about them: "constructed of mosses and lichens and lined with plant down such as that from thistles. It is attached to the twigs of the tree with spider silk". Would that be 'on a bank where the wild thyme blows'? The Nature Trust do say they may weave flowers into their nest. The birds have an affinity with thistles - they eat the seeds and, again according to Wiki, the spines of thistles were another reason for the birds' association with the 'crown of thorns' in the crucifiction; but that seems a stretch to me

In the 18th century, they were widely trapped in Britain for sale as cage birds. Obviously pretty, they also have a cheerful song. The spirit of the age was that nature was there for mankind to exploit and subjugate. William Blake demured: if he thought that  'A Robin Red breast in a Cage; Puts all Heaven in a Rage', how did he feel about something as equally symbolic as a goldfinch?

They are one species that is thriving - the population is increasing. It would be interesting to know why, given that they should be affected by loss of habitat, like many other species. I have seen speculation that it may be because so many people like me are feeding them in winter. I wonder if there is any real evidence 

Afternoon light just happened to be hitting the feeder at the right moment to catch the colours. A pity the black beak-tip - only present in winter - is hidden in this picture, but I like the watchful eye. I took pictures until my fingers were too cold to operate the shutter