Goldfinches Stick Around for Summer

The summers of 2008 and 2009 were, for me, the years without American Goldfinches. The little so-and-so's either left me right as the weather warmed ('09) or were nowhere to be found all year ('08.) But 2010 may be a different story. We had a family group visiting over the winter, enjoying both sunflower and nyger seed. And I am still observing one pair. And they are still happy with their nyger sock! Hence, I am increasingly optimistic that this will be a breeding pair later this summer. I figure they'll get serious about nesting once the asters flower, and we do have some weed exposure around here. If nothing else, the feeder trees will provide backup potential for these little weed-seed-eaters. And it has been a delight to see the brightly colored goldfinches in summer, for a change. We'll see if the good luck continues!