A very popular and abundant bird here in Upstate N.Y. is the American goldfinch. During the Spring and Summer, they can be seen throughout the forest, catching your eye easily due to their bright yellow feathers.
By filling our bird feeder with thistle seeds, we can entice these lovely birds right into our front yard. These particular photos were taken in the woods, with the bird way up in the trees. Thanks to my Canon Power Shot SX530 HS with a 50x Optical Zoom, I was able to capture this fella in all his glory.
"The American goldfinch is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter".
"Goldfinches are the vegetarians of the bird world and they nest late in the season when flowers have begun to go to seed naturally so they will have seeds aplenty to feed their young".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_goldfinch
All fluffed up, this handsome guy is on the look out for a date mate.
"What choo you looking at Willis?" "Sure, some times I like to eat a few bugs here and there, can I help it that those folks forgot to fill the feeder with Thistle"?
That was the first time I had observed a Goldfinch pecking into tree bark. I didn't think his small cone-shaped beak could do that much damage.
Sunning himself, high above the ground, I watched him through my binoculars as he sat quietly and enjoyed the view.
What a peaceful way to spend my afternoon, hiking the woods and #birdwatching.
Special thanks to the #featheredfriends team, 
