A little birdie told me

Early this afternoon I was talking to my sister Amy when I realized there was a commotion in the last elm tree that stands in my yard. I looked up and realized there were some little finches in the tree, chattering and flitting about like mad, and I exclaimed to the other bird lover on the phone, "Amy! I have a whole flock of goldfinches in my tree!"

I adore goldfinches. I know they're fairly common around here, but I don't see them that often. I shouldn't get all excited, but I do. I mean, I see robins and mockingbirds and common housefinches all the time, but c'mon -- it's just more interesting to see a bird with some color on its wings.

Goldfinches have a pronounced scalloped flight pattern, and they are really very yellow, so if you happen to catch sight of them, you really can't mistake it for something else. They love thistle seed and little, tiny bugs, and I never have thistle seed sitting around for them. (Note to self: Get thistle!)

Before Wesley left for work, I happened to notice that the goldfinches were still zipping around the elm tree. Once I thought about it, I realized, "Hey, this tree is dying slowly -- I bet it's covered with whatever little bugs the birds like." So I grabbed my camera and took a ton of pictures, just hoping against hope that *one* of them would be clear enough to show that I really do have a tree full of goldfinches.

Well, I got it partly correct -- I got one picture, and it shows one goldfinch. Hmph! I swear there are lots more where this one came from. I just can't prove it with a photograph.

Tee hee! Goldfinch! Maybe my next bird will be an indigo bunting. Do you think I should hold my breath?

OK, maybe not.