I saw this one at the thistle-sock feeder on our 9th-floor balcony here at Dupont Circle, Washington DC. There were so many last year. (estimated census from last year: at least 5).
I had not seen ANY, until today. What a relief. I was so WORRIED.
Update: 3 July 2012
Last week I noticed that the thistle sock was empty. Aha!
They (in their bright and also mottled yellow hordes) had been here! When I was
away! (They like to have my apt to themselves, it appears.) Refilled the feeder, and found a
second sock in the 20-pound thistle stash we have, set out both.
Then, a day ago, I sighted another individual around 11a, as I
was preparing to head to the office. By this point, I had observed two discrete
individuals. And there are two here this evening. You can hear a slight happy
finchie song announce their setting upon your feast.
About the counting: Last year, I counted four individuals. It takes a lot of
separate observations to get to a reliable individual count, unless all four or
five or whatever, descend upon your station at once, wearing nametags that say “Hi: My name is _____. Count
me.”
For now, the current count is two. I am on the lookout for
confirmation of my suspicion: three.
btw, the arc that goldfinches trace in flight is unmistakable
once you’ve seen it.
Update on the census,
American Goldfinch, at the feeders here:
Saturday, 7 July 2012, saw three, all at once. So census stands
confirmed at three. I suspected four, however. Confirmation came later that
day. Two females appeared. I had seen one at a time previously. So, confirmed at
four now: two females, and two males.
I suspect five, but confirmation now gets much trickier. Here’s
why:
Females and males are easy to distinguish in the summer: males
are bright yellow; females are yellow too, but it’s dulled with green feathers.
In size, there is discernible difference, but markings are not very
individualized.
So if there are five, confirmation can only come from:
seeing three males or three females simultaneously (easy, but requires huge
coincidence, and luck), or distinguishing three individuals of either sex with certainty
borne of sufficiently repeated attentive observation.
Y’all will be the first to know.
