Our first-of-fall American Goldfinches arrived in the backyard right before Thanksgiving.  These cheerful little guys are some of my favorite wintertime birds.  Their happy calls that sounds like “Potato Chip!” and “Gold-y!” are such fun.  Our cat Goldilocks loves to sit out on the porch and wait for her “Goldyfinches.”

I went out on Sunday to try to photograph them.  They got skittish when they saw the Beast, and only let me get a quick snapshot.  I can’t wait till I have some more free time, and I’ll go set up a little blind and try to get better shots.  They spend a lot of time in my crape myrtle trees, which provide a nice natural background.

In the meantime, it’s off to refill the niger feeder…these goldyfinches are as hungry as their namesake cat!