Gold and Bittersweet

A rainy, blustery day ... perfect for birds! I managed to get out briefly in between showers and even managed a short hike along one of the lakes. Loads of tiny ruby-crowned kinglets are moving through our area right now and it seemed like every time I stopped, I'd see a little head pop out of the shrubs. Had a small mixed flock of yellow-rumped warblers and RC Kinglets in the yard for a short while today, too.

But the day belonged to the American Goldfinches. Even in their duller winter plumage, they are gorgeous little birds. There are about a dozen or so hanging around right now making full use of the seed feeders as well as the seed heads in the garden. I don't clean up any of the spent blooms this time of year because the finches love them - coneflowers, bee balm, butterfly bush, sunflowers, zinnias and cosmos, all finch favorites once they've gone to seed.

Now, in case you are wondering ... the berries in this photo are from the oriental bittersweet vine ( Celastrus orbiculatus) a non-native, highly invasive vine that was introduced to the US in the 1860's. While it is beautiful this time of year with its brightly colored berries, it is quite destructive and is not generally viewed as a desirable plant. But, on the upside, many birds eat the berries.

Six other shots from today (all birds) are posted on Flickr, starting HERE

Happy Thursday!

xxoo
Debbi