A bevy of beautiful birds are noshing in the garden.
Three males and a female enjoying lunch.
Lesser Goldfinches, Spinus psaltria, come and go throughout the year, but I can set my calendar by their appearance in the garden buffet during autumn when the Plateau Goldeneye, Viguiera dentata, are creating seeds.
After all, that’s how the plants and the birds rock-n-roll with one another: seeds are produced at the end of flowering and for the nourishment of the birds, and the birds, in turn, spread the seeds to other places to grow, bloom, seed. It’s an ancient complementary relationship and one worthy of watching and appreciating.
My Gardener Says... 
Nature has very good timing.
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Most of the time, it’s spot-on!
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Great pictures- have seen a lot of goldfinches down here as well, now I have to go lol up more about them!
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Thanks, Lauren. It’s that goldfinch time of year!
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Nature is fantastic, isn’t she? I wish we would stop messing so much with it…
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Yeah, we just can’t help ourselves. We like to screw things up.
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Oh how nice! They are so sweet. 🙂
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They are cuties!
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Note to self: buy some of these shrubs!
Thanks, Tina, I didn’t know about these.
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Haha! Goldeneye is a great plant. You’re more likely to find seeds, rather than shrubs, but they grow quickly and multiply in spades.
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No golden eye here, but it’s high season for another ripening fruit that will feed a different bird — more on that later. I absolutely adore the goldfinches, but haven’t seen (or heard) any yet this fall. On the other hand, a week ago Sunday, and last Thursday (?) there were great flocks of white pelicans wheeling into town. I love watching them as they come in, circling and circling while they decide where to set down. I’m hoping our big road construction project won’t keep them from their normal perch along the bay — but there are plenty of other places for them to hang out.
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I remember the pelicans in Corpus, where I grew up. They are quite magnificent in flight, in groups, and in landing. How lucky you are to enjoy them!
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As often as I’ve seen and photographed goldeneye, I’ve never observed a bird going for its seeds. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for that.
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I’ve also seen American goldfinches, Carolina wrens (though I think they’re in it for the insects), and House finches. Good luck in your hunt–get some shots!!
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Hi Tina,
I’m holding out for Bohemian waxwings here – something I’ve never seen because they rarely make it down to the south west, but Oxford is a better bet. It’s a good year for rowan berries so fingers crossed. Just starting to write my research project proposal, looking at road verge invertebrates and how verges could be managed for wildlife. I will be certain to mention Austin’s wildflower verges!
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Hey Emma! Oooh, Bohemian waxwings–I didn’t know they lived in Europe! I hope you see some and all the best with your research–exciting news!
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I love this! We don’t have the Lesser Goldfinches, but they are cuties. I love watching Goldfinches feeding on seeds. Here their favorite is Cup Plant, but they’ll eat seeds from a variety of other plants.
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The finches of various sorts universally seem to like the seeds of Salvia and Asteraceae, so your Cup plant and my Goldeneye really fit the bill. Pun intended. 🙂
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Ha!
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