I’m sorry to report that my backyard migrant birds have left. :(

Last Tuesday after work I had an hour of free time, so I set up my blind (yes, my actual blind, not my bush hideaway!)  I set up a pretty branch perch next to their feeder, trying to get “the pretty shot.”  Unfortunately, only my piggy birds (Red-Winged Blackbirds) took the hint!  Oh well, it was still fun to practice some Alan Murphy techniques.

That Tuesday was the last day that I saw male Painted Buntings.  I had a few greenies later in the week, but by last weekend, I wasn’t seeing them at all.  It’s also been about a week since I saw any small groups of American Goldfinches.  The yard is so quiet without them!  I sadly pulled in my 24-port niger feeder over the weekend.  It’s going to be a long summer.  The winter migrants won’t return to Central Florida until October and November.  I guess the migrants do help define seasons in warm sunny Florida…and if there were here year-round, I might not appreciate them as much…but Goldilocks and I are going to miss our goldyfinches!

We have one lone remaining American Goldfinch, who appears to be injured.  He regularly sits in my coral honeysuckle vine, hopping from there to the shelter of our neighbor’s bush.  He seems to have an issue with a wing.  But he can fly short distances, and he seems to be doing ok.  I’m leaving out a niger feeder and making sure the birdbath is full.  It’s fun that my yard is a friendly refuge for birds…but I do hope he gets better and can join his friends up north.  Or…maybe he can stay all summer, then tell his friends how great it was, and then start a summer colony of goldfinches here in Orlando! :)  Hey, I can dream, right? :)