#American Goldfinch Diet

[battle-of-the-birds]

Remember to read about the contestants before voting!

Tawny Frogmouth

Often mistaken with owls, the Tawny Frogmouth are not closely related to owls! They have large mouths, that they use to catch insects late at night. During the day, they morph their body to look similar to a branch, even swaying in the wind sometimes to mimic a branch. Learn More!

American Goldfinch

Golden, as it’s name suggests, the American Goldfinch eats only seeds. They even change around their breeding schedule because of their diets, waiting for the more fibrous seeds to become available. Pairs of goldfinch make calls that are harmonious with one another, making identical flight calls with one another. Learn More!

(Tawny Frogmouth photo by Ged Tranter) (American Goldfinch photo by Brad Imhoff)

[swede1952]

Cute Fluffy Yellow Bird (Cutest Maxximus)

This is an American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), goldfinches were around in flocks during the winter, so I have a lot of photos of these birds.

"Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect." - allaboutbirds.org

You can check out my gallery at:

[sci-simulacrumb]

Hi, everyone!

I was wandering around today when I noticed the strange bark on a few trees along the vehicle tour trail. Most trees I know have dark, thick bark with pretty deep cracks running through its singular trunk, but these trees had multiple trunks that were nearly pale and smooth all over. Any bark I could peel off was very thin, like paper.

I also saw how thin the branches got, some of them even bowing under the weight of their own clusters of flowers. I think one of these trees may be older than the others, though, because it stretched really tall and its branches were a lot sturdier before getting scraggly at the ends.

I wanted to ask Galen to borrow a book on plants, but they weren’t home today. I didn’t want to walk all the way to the library, so I just borrowed a book Galen was supposed to return over two years ago. They won’t even know it’s gone.

The trees are in the genus Lagerstroemia, and are commonly called “crepe-myrtles” or “crape myrtles”. Technically, they are classified as shrubs. Their rounded crown of trunks make a pretty cozy sitting space if you can fit inside, which explains why some birds use them as habitats. I think I just found the perfect spot for the next game of Hide-and-Go-Seek!

Fun fact: these trees aren’t native to North America. They’re actually from eastern Asia, but are very commonly used as ornamental plants in hot, sunny places in North America. Apparently, a way to increase the number of flowers and branches in time for the summer bloom is to pinch new growth in the Spring. The ones we have on the reserve are either pink or red, but other trees’ colors can be lavender, white, and purple.  

Turns out, the fruit from these flowers are dark maroon buds that appear in the dead of winter. Humans can’t eat them, but lots of birds can. Even though they aren’t native, they’ve become a huge staple in the diets of native birds like finches, cardinals, juncos, and sparrows. The American goldfinches, in particular, have been observed to really like the seeds the most.

That’s really cool! Maybe, in a few months, I’ll set up my own observations. I wonder which birds I could see eating the seeds!

But first, I should decide if I want to bring this book back to the proper library or to Galen's stash.

---Fellowh

[pickerelstripe]

[CM] Birds - Biyaw 1

How are we already to our second-last bird post? Holy cow, these are flying by! Today we’ve got the first half of biyaw* species - birds that are hunted often and easily by the Clan. This is the longest list by far, as ClayClan considers most birds to be fair game.

Below are translations for two ducks, warblers, and... a ton more!

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) - Mwek Small big-headed duck; females are black-and-white, males are largely white with glossy head feathers. Present in winter, spring, and fall. Have the same diet as mallards. The first time I saw buffleheads, they were on a pond in Missouri just after New Year’s - they’re cute little fellows! Hey, didn’t we see this before? I moved buffleheads from eyawoon* to biyaw* after posting the eyawoon* list - woops! They’ll be here from now on.

Green-winged teal (Anas carolinensis) - Hapwip Small duck with dark brown and green markings on the head. Present year-round but most common in spring and fall. Feed on various grasses, insects, molluscs, that sort of thing. 

Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) - Oo’oo Medium-sized bird with clean brown-and-white feathers and a curved yellow beak. Present in summer and fall. Feed on insects (notably caterpillars and cicadas), eggs, snails, small reptiles, and fruit. 

Sora (Porzana carolina) - Kipipip Small chickenlike rail with brown-and-gray feathers and a bright yellow bill. Present in summer and fall, but more common in summer. Feed on seeds, insects, and snails.

American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) - Assuassu Handsome yellow birds - males have clean black wings and foreheads, females are duller overall. Abundant year-round. Feed on seeds. Goldfinches are one of my favorite species - I plan to get a tattoo of one!

Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) - Shashwee Blackbird with seasonal coloration; in winter, males and females are mottled black-and-brown, but in spring breeding males develop crisp black feathers. Present year-round, but most common in spring and fall. Feed on insects, small aquatic animals, seeds, and sometimes other birds.

Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) - Chup Big blackbird with glossy black feathers, females being duller, and white eyes. Present year-round but most abundant in spring and early summer, falling in numbers as the year goes on. Feed on numerous things; insects, frogs, minnows, lizards, and eggs. 

Yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia) - Swee’k’k Small yellow bird, males having reddish breast streaks. Present in early summer through fall. Feed mostly on insects.

Black-and-white warbler (Mniotilta varia) - Eekeek Very distinct mottled black-and-white bird. Present in summer and fall. Feed on insects. 

Palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum) - Swee Unique warbler with a colorful face and duller body. Present in spring and summer. Feed on insects. Unlike other warblers, palm warblers spend much of their time foraging on the ground.

Yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) - Pfswee Distinct gray-and-black bird with white spots on the forehead and flanks. Present year-round, but abundant in summer and fall. Feed on insects and fruit. Like some other birds, yellow-rumped warblers display different coloration based on their location - “myrtle” warblers are the ones present on ClayClan territory, but there’s also the striking black-and-yellow “Goldman’s” down south! 

Northern parula (Setophaga americana) - Rreep Blue, yellow, and white warbler. Present in summer and fall. Feed on insects. Parulas nest on hanging mosses and lichens high in the tree canopy, so their eggs are rarely encountered by Clan cats.

Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - Wishywee Yellow-and-tan warbler, males with a striking black mask over their eyes. Present in summer and fall. Feed mostly on insects. Wishywee is another one of my favorite words :]

[tittacal]

Finch rescue birds 80247

#Finch rescue birds 80247 Patch

Photo by Mario Mendez on Unsplashįinches are so vocal that they may at times be connected with communication. On the flip side, a singing finch refers to a harmonious and nourishing home environment. A finch in a cage, or an otherwise unwell finch may refer to a difficult or stifling situation at home. What does it mean to dream of finches? While the true meaning may be completely different depending on the individual and circumstances: the finch is a bird that is overflowing with spiritual and symbolic meanings that can guide the knowledgeable dreamer.īecause finches are often associated with their pet status, dreaming of a finch is often connected to the home. Finch Celtic SymbolismĬeltic traditions associate finches with predestination, good fortune, and spiritual guidance. Thus, in Christian symbolism, the finch is a bird that can be connected with Christ, compassion, benevolence, and sacrifice. This legend posits that this is where the crimson plumage on the European Goldfinch’s head comes from. In doing so, the bird is stained with the blood of Christ. In this version of Christ’s death, the European Goldfinch attempts to remove the crown of thorn from Jesus’ head. There is a Christian legend that associates this bird with Christ’s passion.

#Finch rescue birds 80247 Patch

The European Goldfinch has a bright crimson patch on its head. Additionally, the bright yellow feathers of the American Goldfinch we’re associated with the might and spiritual power of the sun. They were regarded as Omens of good things to come. In Native American traditions, finches are often associated with celebration and joy. The Many Birds of Christmas and Their Meanings In this way, finches are simultaneously associated with the ecstatic joy of true freedom and the stifling nature of captivity and possession.Īdditionally, the evolutionary adaptations of Darwin’s finches connect them to adaptability and biodiversity. While this expression refers to the futility of attempting to capture nature’s beauty, the wild beauty of a singing bird is often associated with freedom. The expression “a caged bird doesn’t sing,” is often interpreted as referring to a finch or canary. To read more about canaries specifically, check out our article on the canary’s symbolism, mythology, and meaning.ĭue to their popularity as pets, finches are often associated with captivity as well as freedom. The canary, a beloved species of finch often kept as a pet, is often associated with forewarning the proverbial “canary in the coalmine” warns against invisible danger due to its sensitivity. Many traditional wisdoms and sayings associate finches with rainfall and premonition. Symbolically, finches have many interesting meanings depending on culture and context. In this article, we’ll explore the spiritual, mythological, and symbolic significance of the humble yet impactful finch. People who feel especially connected to finches may be drawn to the vibrant colors or cheerful songs for which these birds are known. As bright warbling ambassadors of the beauty of nature, they have never failed to uplift those who encounter them. This theory is still considered to be the best explanation for the evolution of Earth’s incredible array of diverse plants and animals.Īs pets and companions, finches have accompanied mankind for centuries. Through this study, and other studies regarding the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, Darwin developed his theory that through natural selection, animals adapt to their circumstances over many generations. ( 2) Charles Darwin studied the ways that the individual species in this group differ based on their diets and habitats, most notably, the differences in the shapes of their bills depending on their preferred diets. These so-called finches are actually tanagers, but they are called finches to this day. Darwin’s finches are a group of songbirds endemic to the Galapagos Islands that have played an essential role in the formation of the theory of evolution by natural selection. One particularly important connection between mankind and finches can actually be credited to a different species of songbird. Often associated with domesticity, cheerfulness, and wealth, the finch is an excellent example of a bird that has been important to human culture dating back to ancient times. Finches are common in most regions of the world and are often kept as pets. The finch is a sturdy little songbird that often possesses a stout bill and can come in a variety of dazzling colors.

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

(Photo by Mason Maron)

Conservation Status- Least Concern

Habitat- North America

Size (Weight/Length)- 20 g; 14 cm

Diet- Seeds; Insects

Cool Facts- The American goldfinch is one of the continent’s most recognizable songbirds. Known for their brilliant yellow plumage, American goldfinches almost exclusively eat seeds. This makes them a common sight for birdfeeders where they travel in small flocks. Often times, these smaller flocks will combine with other species of finches for safety in numbers. American goldfinch tend to lay eggs in late summer where the chicks hatch after only 12 days. The chicks leave the nest after only 15 days. Luckily, the American goldfinch is flourishing in the human world and its population is increasing.

Rating- 11/10 (A little, tweety bird.)

[skonnaris]

Books I’ve Read: 2006-2019

Alexie, Sherman - Flight

Anderson, Joan - A Second Journey

                          - An Unfinished Marriage

                          - A Walk on the Beach

                          - A Year By The Sea

Anshaw, Carol - Carry the One

Auden, W.H. - The Selected Poems of W.H. Auden

Austen, Jane - Pride and Prejudice

Bach, Richard - Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Bear, Donald R - Words Their Way

Berg, Elizabeth - Open House

Bly, Nellie - Ten Days in a Madhouse

Bradbury, Ray - Fahrenheit 451

                        - The Martian Chronicles

Brooks, David - The Road to Character

Brooks, Geraldine - Caleb’s Crossing

Brown, Dan - The Da Vinci Code

Bryson, Bill - The Lost Continent

Burnett, Frances Hodgson - The Secret Garden

Buscaglia, Leo - Bus 9 to Paradise

                         - Living, Loving & Learning

                         - Personhood

                         - Seven Stories of Christmas Love

Byrne, Rhonda - The Secret

Carlson, Richard - Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Carson, Rachel - The Sense of Wonder

                          - Silent Spring

Cervantes, Miguel de - Don Quixote

Cherry, Lynne - The Greek Kapok Tree

Chopin, Karen - The Awakening

Clurman, Harold - The Fervent Years: The Group Theatre & the 30s

Coelho, Paulo -  Adultery

                           The Alchemist

Conklin, Tara - The Last Romantics

Conroy, Pat - Beach Music

                    - The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son

                    - The Great Santini

                    - The Lords of Discipline

                    - The Prince of Tides

                    - The Water is Wide

Corelli, Marie - A Romance of Two Worlds

Delderfield, R.F. - To Serve Them All My Days

Dempsey, Janet - Washington’s Last Contonment: High Time for a Peace

Dewey, John - Experience and Education

Dickens, Charles - A Christmas Carol

                             - Great Expectations

                             - A Tale of Two Cities

Didion, Joan - The Year of Magical Thinking

Disraeli, Benjamin - Sybil

Doctorow, E.L. - Andrew’s Brain

                         - Ragtime

Doerr, Anthony - All the Light We Cannot See

Dreiser, Theodore - Sister Carrie 

Dyer, Wayne - Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

                     - The Power of Intention

                     - Your Erroneous Zones

Edwards, Kim - The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

Ellis, Joseph J. - His Excellency: George Washington

Ellison, Ralph - The Invisible Man

Emerson, Ralph Waldo - Essays and Lectures

Felkner, Donald W. - Building Positive Self Concepts

Fergus, Jim - One Thousand White Women

Flynn, Gillian - Gone Girl

Follett, Ken - Pillars of the Earth

Frank, Anne - The Diary of a Young Girl

Freud, Sigmund - The Interpretation of Dreams

Frey, James - A Million Little Pieces

Fromm, Erich - The Art of Loving

                       - Escape from Freedom

Fulghum, Robert - All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Fuller, Alexandra - Leaving Before the Rains Come

Garield, David - The Actors Studion: A Player’s Place

Gates, Melinda - The Moment of Lift

Gibran, Kahlil - The Prophet

Gilbert, Elizabeth - Eat, Pray, Love

                            - The Last American Man

                            - The Signature of All Things

Ginsburg, Ruth Bader - My Own Words

Girzone, Joseph F, - Joshua

                               - Joshua and the Children

Gladwell, Malcom - Blink

                              - David and Goliath

                              - Outliers

                              - The Tipping Point

                              - Talking to Strangers

Glass, Julia - Three Junes

Goodall, Jane - Reason for Hope

Goodwin, Doris Kearnes - Team of Rivals

Graham, Steve - Best Practices in Writing Instruction

Gray, John - Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

Groom, Winston - Forrest Gump

Gruen, Sarah - Water for Elephants

Hannah, Kristin - The Great Alone

                          - The Nightingale

Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis - Strategies That Work

Hawkins, Paula - The Girl on the Train

Hedges, Chris - Empire of Illusion

Hellman, Lillian - Maybe

                         - Pentimento

Hemingway - Ernest - A Moveable Feast

Hendrix, Harville - Getting the Love You Want

Hesse, Hermann - Demian

                            - Narcissus and Goldmund

                            - Peter Camenzind

                            - Siddhartha

                            - Steppenwolf

Hilderbrand, Elin - The Beach Club

Hitchens, Christopher - God is Not Great

Hoffman, Abbie - Soon to be a Major Motion Picture 

                          - Steal This Book

Holt, John - How Children Fail

                  - How Children Learn

                 - Learning All the Time

                 - Never Too Late

Hopkins, Joseph - The American Transcendentalist

Horney, Karen - Feminine Psychology

                        - Neurosis and Human Growth

                        - The Neurotic Personality of Our Time

                        - New Ways in Psychoanalysis

                        - Our Inner Conflicts

                        - Self Analysis

Hosseini, Khaled - The Kite Runner

Hoover, John J, Leonard M. Baca, Janette K. Klingner - Why Do English Learners Struggle with Reading?

Janouch, Gustav - Conversations with Kafka

Jefferson, Thomas - Crusade Against Ignorance

Jong, Erica - Fear of Dying

Joyce, Rachel - The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

                       - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Kafka, Franz - Amerika

                      - Metamophosis

                      - The Trial     

Kallos, Stephanie - Broken For You  

Kazantzakis, Nikos - Zorba the Greek

Keaton, Diane - Then Again

Kelly, Martha Hall - The Lilac Girls

Keyes, Daniel - Flowers for Algernon

King, Steven - On Writing

Kornfield, Jack - Bringing Home the Dharma

Kraft, Herbert - The Indians of Lenapehoking - The Lenape or Delaware Indians: The Original People of NJ, Southeastern New York State, Eastern Pennsylvania, Northern Delaware and Parts of Western Connecticut

Kundera, Milan - The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Lacayo, Richard - Native Son

Lamott, Anne - Bird by Bird

                         Word by Word

L’Engle, Madeleine - A Wrinkle in Time

Lahiri, Jhumpa - The Namesake

Lappe, Frances Moore - Diet for a Small Planet

Lee, Harper - To Kill a Mockingbird

Lems, Kristin et al  - Building Literacy with English Language Learners

Lewis, Sinclair - Main Street

London, Jack - The Call of the Wild

Lowry, Lois - The Giver

Mander, Jerry - Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television

Marks, John D. - The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA and Mind         Control

Martel, Yann - Life of Pi

Maslow, Abraham - The Farther Reaches of Human Nature

                              - Motivation and Personality

                              - Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences

                             - Toward a Psychology of Being                            

Maugham. W. Somerset - Of Human Bondage

                                        - Christmas Holiday

Maurier, Daphne du - Rebecca

Mayes, Frances - Under the Tuscan Sun

Mayle, Peter - A Year in Provence

McCourt, Frank - Angela’s Ashes

                          - Teacher man

McCullough, David - 1776

                                - Brave Companions

McEwan, Ian - Atonement

                      - Saturday

McLaughlin, Emma - The Nanny Diaries

McLuhan, Marshall - Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man

Meissner, Susan - The Fall of Marigolds

Millman, Dan - Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Moehringer, J.R. - The Tender Bar

Moon, Elizabeth - The Speed of Dark

Moriarty, Liane - The Husband’s Sister

                         - The Last Anniversary

                         - What Alice Forgot

Mortenson, Greg - Three Cups of Tea

Moyes, Jo Jo - One Plus One

                       - Me Before You 

Ng, Celeste - Little Fires Everywhere

Neill, A.S. - Summerhill

Noah, Trevor - Born a Crime

O’Dell, Scott - Island of the Blue Dolphins

Offerman, Nick - Gumption

O’Neill, Eugene - Long Day’s Journey Into Night

                            A Touch of the Poet

Orwell, George - Animal Farm

Owens, Delia - Where the Crawdads Sing

Paulus, Trina - Hope for the Flowers

Pausch, Randy - The Last Lecture

Patchett, Ann - The Dutch House

Peck, Scott M. - The Road Less Traveled

                         - The Road Less Traveled and Beyond

Paterson, Katherine - Bridge to Teribithia

Picoult, Jodi - My Sister’s Keeper

Pirsig, Robert - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Puzo, Mario - The Godfather

Quindlen, Anna - Black and Blue

Radish, Kris - Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral

Redfield, James - The Celestine Prophecy

Rickert, Mary - The Memory Garden

Rogers, Carl - On Becoming a Person

Ruiz, Miguel - The Fifth Agreement

                     - The Four Agreements

                     - The Mastery of Love

Rum, Etaf - A Woman is No Man

Saint-Exupery, Antoine de - The Little Prince

Salinger, J.D. - Catcher in the Rye

Schumacher, E.F. - Small is Beautiful

Sebold, Alice - The Almost Moon

                       - The Lovely Bones

Shaffer, Mary Ann and Anne Barrows - The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Shakespeare, William - Alls Well That Ends Well

                                   - Much Ado About Nothing

                                   - Romeo and Juliet

                                   - The Sonnets

                                   - The Taming of the Shrew

                                   - Twelfth Night

                                   - Two Gentlemen of Verona

Sides, Hampton - Hellhound on his Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin

Silverstein, Shel - The Giving Tree

Skinner, B.F. - About Behaviorism

Smith, Betty - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley - The Velvet Room

Spinelli, Jerry - Loser

Spolin, Viola - Improvisation for the Theater

Stanislavski, Constantin - An Actor Prepares

Stedman, M.L. - The Light Between Oceans

Steinbeck, John - Travels with Charley

Steiner, Peter - The Terrorist

Stockett, Kathryn - The Help

Strayer, Cheryl - Wild

Streatfeild, Dominic - Brainwash

Strout, Elizabeth - My Name is Lucy Barton

Tartt, Donna - The Goldfinch

Taylor, Kathleen - Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control

Thomas, Matthew - We Are Not Ourselves

Thoreau, Henry David - Walden

Tolle, Eckhart - A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

                      - The Power of Now

Towles, Amor - A Gentleman in Moscow

                       - Rules of Civility

Tracey, Diane and Lesley Morrow - Lenses on Reading

Traub, Nina - Recipe for Reading

Tzu, Lao - Tao Te Ching

United States Congress - Project MKULTRA, the CIA's program of research in behavioral modification: Joint hearing before the Select Committee on Intelligence and the ... Congress, first session, August 3, 1977

Van Allsburg, Chris - Just a Dream

                                - Polar Express

                                - Sweet Dreams

                                - Stranger

                                - Two Bad Ants

Walker, Alice - The Color Purple

Waller, Robert James - Bridges of Madison County

Warren, Elizabeth - A Fighting Chance

Waugh, Evelyn - Brideshead Revisited

Weir, Andy - The Martian

Weinstein, Harvey M. - Father, Son and CIA

Welles, Rebecca - The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood

Westover, Tara - Educated

White, E.B. - Charlotte’s Web

Wilde, Oscar - The Picture of Dorien Gray

Wolfe, Tom - I Am Charlotte Simmons

Wolitzer, Meg - The Female Persuasion

Woolf, Virginia - Mrs. Dalloway

Zevin, Gabrielle - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Zusak, Marcus - The Book Thief

[todaysbird]

an american goldfinch feeds on thistle seeds, one of their primary food sources. goldfinches’ diet is mainly seeds - enough that brood parasites like cowbirds usually die from malnutrition if they hatch in goldfinch nests.

(x)

[instantlycoolturtle-blog]

American Goldfinch - Birds Personality, Food, & Care

New Post has been published on https://www.birdsandblossom.com/american-goldfinch/

American Goldfinch - Birds Personality, Food, & Care

The American Goldfinch is a small bird in the finch family, native to North America, and ranging from North Carolina to Alberta during the breeding season. The migratory birds and found from Canada to the United States during the winter.

The American goldfinch habitat in semi-open places, open clear ground, with some trees and shrubs for shelter, especially near stream sides, forest edges, roadsides, orchards, and residential areas.

These are social birds and gather in large flocks while eating and migrating. They may behave territorial during nest constructing, but their aggression is for a short time. They may be found in open deciduous and nearby rivers woodland, prefer habitat continues during the spring and autumn migrations.

The summer breeding range expands through North America from coast to coast. These birds are a short-distance migrant, moving south due to colder and lesser food around. The migration includes in dense flocks, which travel in an erratic form of flight.

American Goldfinch Description

The male is a bright yellow during the summer and an olive color in the winter. The female is a light yellow-brown color which vibrant on a little during the summer. The male displays radiantly color feathers during the breeding season to attract a companion.

The small pointed beak has pink color generally throughout the year. But change bright orange when the spring molt occurs in both the male and female. The size and shape of the beak help in the removal of seeds from the seed heads of sunflowers, thistles, and other plants.

The American goldfinches are small in size, about 4.3 to 5.5 inches, and weighs about 11 to 20 grams or 0.39 to 0.71 oz.

They undergo molting in the spring and autumn; these are only finches to endure molt twice a year.

During the cold weather birds shed all their feathers, in the spring; they shed all their wing and tail feathers.

American Goldfinch Diet

The American goldfinches are diurnal eater; and one of the stable vegetarians in the bird’s family. They’re mostly feeding on seeds, but will occasionally eat insects, which are provided protein to their young.

Unlike other finch species, the American goldfinches use their feet usually in feeding. They adapted for the food of seed heads, with a pointed beak to remove the seeds and nimble feet to hold the stalks of seed heads while feeding.

American Goldfinch

Their diet consists of the seeds from a large variety of plants, often grasses, weeds, and trees such as sunflower, dandelion, thistle, mullein, teasel, cosmos, ragweed, elm, birch and alder.

They also eat tree buds, berries, maple sap, visit bird feeder from your backyard mostly in the winter season, and prefer thistle seeds.

In the spring season, they feed on the flowers dangling from sticks and alders. Pulling one up with beak and using their toes to hold the catkin still beside the branch.

How to Attract the American Goldfinch

Their beautiful colors, lovely songs, and acrobatic flight pattern, the American goldfinch is an ideal bird to attract to your backyard. Create a striking habitat for these birds, and provide food which birds prefer. You can positively attract lovely feathered companion to your backyard or garden.

Plant trees and shrubs for their nesting or find an area near you that is already grown. They’re shy birds and prefer making nests on the top of dense shrubs that are near open grounds or rivers.

Plant both deciduous trees and bushes, such as oak or elm, and pine; these trees will attract the birds for food and shelter. Give some space trees and plants so the birds can be easily seen in the garden.

Find a large, sheltered area in your backyard suitable for trees and shrubs. Preferably near an open field of grass or stream, and in a location with plenty of suns.

Plant the trees in an area where other predators can’t reach these birds.

The American goldfinches are attracted to thistles and weeds for eating. They also use wooded material and use from thistles, grasses, milkweed, and cattails to build their nests.

They prefer nesting near the water source, place an attractive fountain or birdbath for drinking and bathing.

Purchase suitable bird feeder for birds; add their favorite niger thistle seeds, with sunflowers, millet, dandelions, flax, and goldenrod.

Behavior & Vocalizations

The American goldfinch is sociable during the non-breeding season and may gather in small or large flocks during the autumn and winter. They’re slightly aggressive while eating and look more territorial during breeding season. 

While the nest constructed, the male will perform aggressively to other males who interrupt into his territory.

Driving them away and the female responds the same toward other females.

Often diving or shattering at nearby birds to defend their food locations.

Their flight pattern is energetic and rolling, and they often call loud as they fly. These species are acrobatic and can easily eat upright, and regularly found holding to flower seed heads, weeds and seed socks, grasses, and also very vocal at backyard feeders.

The American goldfinch song is a series of melodious twitters and warbles, often with a long note. The mature birds are made two protection calls during nesting. A soft call made to gather other American goldfinches to the nest and draw away predators.

Health & Common Conditions

The American goldfinches are occasionally sufferers of brood parasites, mostly brown-headed cowbirds eggs; it shows low hatching and no fledging success. The incapability of brown-headed cowbird chicks to endure is due to they can’t get adequate nutrition; both from the seed-rich diet and the insect-rich diet. Some illnesses and serious condition may affect your birds that need quickly care of an avian veterinarian.

These are other conditions they may suffer

Calcium Deficiency

Mites

Aspergillosis

Diarrhea

Egg Binding

Bumblefoot

Eye Inflammation

Overgrown Beak and Claws

Breeding & Nesting

The American goldfinches begin their breeding season, in many regions with most nesting construct during July and August. They start their breeding season later in the year than other finches. Maybe birds get the plenty of seeds in the late summer season, as seeds are the primary food of their diet. 

In courtship, the males display fluttering flight it includes aerial moves while singing, and their quality and ability, both in the short term. When the males have found the mates, they choice territories, design the boundaries and singing as they fly from perch to perch.

The female usually builds the nest in the branches of deciduous trees or shrubs occasionally in conifers or thick weeds about 33 feet above the ground.

American goldfinch female construct nest in the horizontal or erect branch like a compact and dense cup of plant fibers, plant down often from thistles, spider webs.

The nest constructing continues about six days, during which time the female struggles in 15 to 40 minutes additions. The male regularly flies with the female, as she gathers nesting materials. The male may also bring some materials back to the nest.

American goldfinch nest is so firmly woven, the protect the border with bark bound in caterpillar silk, and spider webs, the cup is lined with plant down from thistle, milkweed, or cattail.

The outside of the nest is also built with weeds, bark, grass, and vines, and the inside thickness of the entire nest is about 2.6 inches.

The pairs of two or three may group their territories in a colony, possibly to help in protection from predators. The American goldfinch laid four to six ovals in shape eggs.

The female is incubated eggs alone, and the male takes the food as she nests. The mother birds feed their young regurgitated seeds and insects during their growth. The chicks mature quickly, and juvenile complete the plumage growth after 11 to 15 days.

[coolstarstruckmentalitybouq-blog]

American Goldfinch - Birds Personality, Food, & Care

New Post has been published on https://www.birdsandblossom.com/american-goldfinch/

American Goldfinch - Birds Personality, Food, & Care

The American Goldfinch is a small bird in the finch family, native to North America, and ranging from North Carolina to Alberta during the breeding season. The migratory birds and found from Canada to the United States during the winter.

The American goldfinch habitat in semi-open places, open clear ground, with some trees and shrubs for shelter, especially near stream sides, forest edges, roadsides, orchards, and residential areas.

These are social birds and gather in large flocks while eating and migrating. They may behave territorial during nest constructing, but their aggression is for a short time. They may be found in open deciduous and nearby rivers woodland, prefer habitat continues during the spring and autumn migrations.

The summer breeding range expands through North America from coast to coast. These birds are a short-distance migrant, moving south due to colder and lesser food around. The migration includes in dense flocks, which travel in an erratic form of flight.

American Goldfinch Description

The male is a bright yellow during the summer and an olive color in the winter. The female is a light yellow-brown color which vibrant on a little during the summer. The male displays radiantly color feathers during the breeding season to attract a companion.

The small pointed beak has pink color generally throughout the year. But change bright orange when the spring molt occurs in both the male and female. The size and shape of the beak help in the removal of seeds from the seed heads of sunflowers, thistles, and other plants.

The American goldfinches are small in size, about 4.3 to 5.5 inches, and weighs about 11 to 20 grams or 0.39 to 0.71 oz.

They undergo molting in the spring and autumn; these are only finches to endure molt twice a year.

During the cold weather birds shed all their feathers, in the spring; they shed all their wing and tail feathers.

American Goldfinch Diet

The American goldfinches are diurnal eater; and one of the stable vegetarians in the bird’s family. They’re mostly feeding on seeds, but will occasionally eat insects, which are provided protein to their young.

Unlike other finch species, the American goldfinches use their feet usually in feeding. They adapted for the food of seed heads, with a pointed beak to remove the seeds and nimble feet to hold the stalks of seed heads while feeding.

American Goldfinch

Their diet consists of the seeds from a large variety of plants, often grasses, weeds, and trees such as sunflower, dandelion, thistle, mullein, teasel, cosmos, ragweed, elm, birch and alder.

They also eat tree buds, berries, maple sap, visit bird feeder from your backyard mostly in the winter season, and prefer thistle seeds.

In the spring season, they feed on the flowers dangling from sticks and alders. Pulling one up with beak and using their toes to hold the catkin still beside the branch.

How to Attract the American Goldfinch

Their beautiful colors, lovely songs, and acrobatic flight pattern, the American goldfinch is an ideal bird to attract to your backyard. Create a striking habitat for these birds, and provide food which birds prefer. You can positively attract lovely feathered companion to your backyard or garden.

Plant trees and shrubs for their nesting or find an area near you that is already grown. They’re shy birds and prefer making nests on the top of dense shrubs that are near open grounds or rivers.

Plant both deciduous trees and bushes, such as oak or elm, and pine; these trees will attract the birds for food and shelter. Give some space trees and plants so the birds can be easily seen in the garden.

Find a large, sheltered area in your backyard suitable for trees and shrubs. Preferably near an open field of grass or stream, and in a location with plenty of suns.

Plant the trees in an area where other predators can’t reach these birds.

The American goldfinches are attracted to thistles and weeds for eating. They also use wooded material and use from thistles, grasses, milkweed, and cattails to build their nests.

They prefer nesting near the water source, place an attractive fountain or birdbath for drinking and bathing.

Purchase suitable bird feeder for birds; add their favorite niger thistle seeds, with sunflowers, millet, dandelions, flax, and goldenrod.

Behavior & Vocalizations

The American goldfinch is sociable during the non-breeding season and may gather in small or large flocks during the autumn and winter. They’re slightly aggressive while eating and look more territorial during breeding season. 

While the nest constructed, the male will perform aggressively to other males who interrupt into his territory.

Driving them away and the female responds the same toward other females.

Often diving or shattering at nearby birds to defend their food locations.

Their flight pattern is energetic and rolling, and they often call loud as they fly. These species are acrobatic and can easily eat upright, and regularly found holding to flower seed heads, weeds and seed socks, grasses, and also very vocal at backyard feeders.

The American goldfinch song is a series of melodious twitters and warbles, often with a long note. The mature birds are made two protection calls during nesting. A soft call made to gather other American goldfinches to the nest and draw away predators.

Health & Common Conditions

The American goldfinches are occasionally sufferers of brood parasites, mostly brown-headed cowbirds eggs; it shows low hatching and no fledging success. The incapability of brown-headed cowbird chicks to endure is due to they can’t get adequate nutrition; both from the seed-rich diet and the insect-rich diet. Some illnesses and serious condition may affect your birds that need quickly care of an avian veterinarian.

These are other conditions they may suffer

Calcium Deficiency

Mites

Aspergillosis

Diarrhea

Egg Binding

Bumblefoot

Eye Inflammation

Overgrown Beak and Claws

Breeding & Nesting

The American goldfinches begin their breeding season, in many regions with most nesting construct during July and August. They start their breeding season later in the year than other finches. Maybe birds get the plenty of seeds in the late summer season, as seeds are the primary food of their diet. 

In courtship, the males display fluttering flight it includes aerial moves while singing, and their quality and ability, both in the short term. When the males have found the mates, they choice territories, design the boundaries and singing as they fly from perch to perch.

The female usually builds the nest in the branches of deciduous trees or shrubs occasionally in conifers or thick weeds about 33 feet above the ground.

American goldfinch female construct nest in the horizontal or erect branch like a compact and dense cup of plant fibers, plant down often from thistles, spider webs.

The nest constructing continues about six days, during which time the female struggles in 15 to 40 minutes additions. The male regularly flies with the female, as she gathers nesting materials. The male may also bring some materials back to the nest.

American goldfinch nest is so firmly woven, the protect the border with bark bound in caterpillar silk, and spider webs, the cup is lined with plant down from thistle, milkweed, or cattail.

The outside of the nest is also built with weeds, bark, grass, and vines, and the inside thickness of the entire nest is about 2.6 inches.

The pairs of two or three may group their territories in a colony, possibly to help in protection from predators. The American goldfinch laid four to six ovals in shape eggs.

The female is incubated eggs alone, and the male takes the food as she nests. The mother birds feed their young regurgitated seeds and insects during their growth. The chicks mature quickly, and juvenile complete the plumage growth after 11 to 15 days.

[vandaliatraveler]

Not all of Appalachia’s native plants are designed for daytime operations. The flowers of the common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) open fully only at night and during the early morning hours before the sun rises; they close when exposed to bright sunlight. The plant has adapted its reproductive cycle to the hours of its primary pollinators: night-flying moths (although lucky bees and hummingbirds can sneak nectar in the early morning or on cloudy days). Moths are attracted to the honey pot by both the flowers’ lemony scent and a nectar guide visible only in the ultraviolet light spectrum, which their eyes detect. This sun-loving, biennial herb produces numerous luminous-yellow, four-petaled flowers from a terminal spike at the end of a long stem; the seeds that follow the flowers are eaten by goldfinches and other field birds. Common evening primrose produces one or more stems with lanceolate, willow-like leaves. Individual plants often clump together to give a bushy, shrub-like appearance. The plant is also referred to as king’s cure-all because of its long history of use as a medicinal herb and diet supplement; Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) is used today to reduce blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, treat eczema, etc., with some medical evidence to support its efficacy for certain applications. Native Americans made a tea from its leaves, and the young shoots and roots are edible.

[callunavulgari]

Scrapbook 2018 - Pt. II

Second part of the scrapbook for 2018. A reminder, for myself and others-

Italicized titles - enjoyed quite a bit | bold titles - love | titles with an asterisk* - all time favorites | (bracketed titles) - re-watches/re-reads | strikethough - dislike

Goals are: read forty-five new books this year (34 so far!), finish six video games (2 so far!), write either 30 fics or 70k total, finish the damn Sabriel AU (not so much), and write something original.

MOVIES

June

Solo

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

(Coco)

(The Lost Boys)

(Road to El Dorado)

(Avatar)

The Philadelphia Story

Singin’ In The Rain

Incredibles 2

Funny Girl

High Society

Blade Runner 2049

Moonlight

Ocean’s 8

July

Ant Man and the Wasp

Lego Batman Movie

Good Morning Vietnam

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

(Coraline)

August

(Hercules)

(Wonder Woman)

(Coraline)

Flavors of Youth

September

(Song of the Sea)

The Losers

The Greatest Showman

October

(Jurassic Park)

(LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring)

November

(V For Vendetta)\

(Serenity)

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

December

Wreck It Ralph 2

(Howl’s Moving Castle)

Ready Player One

Home Alone 2

BOOKS

June

The Stand | Stephen King

Think of England | K.J. Charles [Fin] 

Reincarnation Blues | Michael Poore [Fin]

Voyage of the Basilisk | Marie Brennan [Fin]

Wishful Drinking | Carrie Fisher [Fin]

(Captive Prince | C.S. Pacat) [Fin]

(Prince’s Gambit | C.S. Pacat) [Fin]

(King’s Rising | C.S. Pacat) [Fin]

The Fifth Season | N.K. Jesmin [Fin]

The Power | Naomi Alderman [Fin]

July

The Stand | Stephen King [Fin]

King of Attolia | Megan Whalen Turner [Fin]

Conspiracy of Kings | Megan Whalen Turner [Fin]

The Ocean at the End of the Lane | Neil Gaiman [Fin]

Postcards From the Edge | Carrie Fisher [Fin]

A Closed and Common Orbit | Becky Chambers [Fin]

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1 | Kieron Gillen [Fin]

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 2 | Kieron Gillen [Fin]

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 3 | Kieron Gillen [Fin]

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street | Natasha Pulley [Fin]

Half Bad | Sally Green [Fin]

Spinning Silver | Naomi Novak [Fin]***

(Uprooted)** [Fin]

The Bedlam Stacks | Natasha Pulley [Fin]

If We Were Villains | M.L. Rio [Fin]

Circe | Madelline Miller [Fin]

Lord of the Flies | William Golding [Fin]

The Goldfinch | Donna Tartt

The Obelisk Gate | N.K. Jesmin [Fin]

(His Majesty’s Dragon | Naomi Novak)

August

The Goldfinch | Donna Tartt [Fin]

(His Majesty’s Dragon | Naomi Novak) [Fin]

Pachinko | Min Jin Lee [Fin]

The Cruel Prince | Holly Black [Fin]

Thick As Thieves | Megan Whalen Turner [Fin]

The Language of Thorns | Leigh Bardugo [Fin]

Salt Magic, Skin Magic | Lee Welch [Fin]

Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard [Fin]

Record of a Spaceborn Few | Becky Chambers [Fin]

The Labyrinth of Drakes | Marie Brennan [Fin]

The Stone Sky | N.K. Jesmin

Luck In The Shadows | Lynn Flewelling

September

The Stone Sky | N.K. Jesmin [Fin]

Luck In The Shadows | Lynn Flewelling [Fin]

Stalking Darkness | Lynn Flewelling [Fin]

Within the Sanctuary of Wings | Marie Brennan [Fin]

Traitor’s Moon | Lynn Flewelling [Fin]

Shadow’s Return | Lynn Flewelling [Fin]

When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalanithi 

The White Road | Lynn Flewelling [Fin]

Casket of Souls | Lynn Flewelling [Fin]

Shards of Time | Lynn Flewelling [Fin]

The Name of the Wind | Patrick Rothfuss

October

The Name of the Wind | Patrick Rothfuss [Fin]

When Breath Becomes Air | Paul Kalanithi [Fin]

Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng [Fin]

Titus Groan | Meryn Peake [DNF]

The Fellowship of the Ring | J.R.R. Tolkien

Howl’s Moving Castle | Diana Wyyne Jones

The Wise Man’s Fear | Patrick Rothfuss

November

The Fellowship of the Ring | J.R.R. Tolkien [Fin]

Howl’s Moving Castle | Diana Wyyne Jones

The Wise Man’s Fear | Patrick Rothfuss [Fin] 

December

Howl’s Moving Castle | Diana Wyyne Jones [Fin]

Ender’s Game | Orson Scott Card

The Poppy War | R.F. Kuang

PODCASTS

June

Wolf 359 (Eps 49-61) FIN

The Bright Sessions (56 - Finale) FIN

Penumbra Podcast (1-32)

Alice Isn’t Dead (5-6)

July

Penumbra Podcast (32)

August

Penumbra Podcast (ALL OF IT)

September

EOS 10 (Rewatch of s1 & 2, then 1-5 of s3)

Welcome to Night Vale (1-26)

October

EOS 10 (s3; eps 5-FINALE, bonus episode)

Welcome to Night Vale (26)

November

Welcome to Night Vale (26-29)

Wolf 359 RELISTEN (1-34)

Penumbra Podcast (Juno Steel and the Long Way Home pt 1-2)

TANIS 1

December

Wolf 359 RELISTEN (34-62)

TV SHOWS BY SEASON

June

Westworld s2

Legion s2

The Flash s4

Siren s1

Sense8 Series Finale*****

Black Mirror

Voltron s6

July 

The Bold Type s1

Anne With An E s1

Black Mirror

Big Mouth

August

Anne With An E s2

Legion s2

The Flash s4

Voltron s7

San Clarita Diet

Jeff Jeffries

September

American Horror Story: Apocalypse

Killing Eve

The Dragon Prince

Castlevania

October

American Horror Story: Apocalypse

Killing Eve

The Haunting of Hill House

The Good Place s2

Castlevania s2

November

The Good Place s2

Castlevania s2

American Horror Story: Apocalypse

Killing Eve

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

She Ra s1

December 

(Dead Like Me)

(Buffy the Vampire Slayer s4)

VIDEO GAMES

June

Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone DLC - 2 hrs

Song of the Deep

(Final Fantasy 15) - 30 hrs

July

Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone DLC - 2 hrs

SOMA [Fin]

(Kingdom Hearts Final Mix) - 34 hrs [Fin]

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - Remix [Fin]

(Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix) - 40 hrs

August

(Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix) - 40 hrs [Fin]

Kingdom Hearts BBS, Terra - 20 hrs [Fin]

Kingdom Hearts BBS, Ven - 5 hrs

Prey, M Morgan - 30 hrs [Fin]

Prey, F Morgan - 6 hrs

September

(Final Fantasy 15) - 100 hrs

Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone DLC - 6 hrs

October

(Final Fantasy 15) - 100 hrs

Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone DLC - 6 hrs

Kingdom Hearts BBS, Ven - 12 hrs [Fin]

Kingdom Hearts BBS, Aqua - 5 hrs

November

Kingdom Hearts BBS, Aqua - 5 hrs

Pokemon Go?

December

Pokemon Moon (34 hrs, Ghost trial?)

Pokemon Go

(Kingdom Hearts: DDD - La Cite de Cloches, 5 hrs?)

Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee

Detroit: Become Human

DELIGHTFUL FIC

June

take the stage and deliver by mothwrites | Wolf 359 | Jacobi/Kepler | 3k | “Why me?” Jacobi asked.“You’re just his type,” Cutter said. “He’ll never see it coming.”

push to the limit by gortysproject | Wolf 359 | Jacobi/Kepler | 10k | five times kepler asks too much of jacobi, and one time jacobi can't pull through for him.

you be the motor, I'll be the gasoline by crookedfingers | Wolf 359 | Jacobi/Kepler | 5k | The hold music begins before Jacobi can finish his sentence. He blinks at the far wall and then glances at a clock. He’ll give it thirty seconds before he hangs up.Then the music stops jarringly mid-note and someone says, “Thank you so much for your patience. I understand that you’re seeking career opportunities with Goddard Futuristics.”

life 2.0 by goldtreesilvertree, mothwrites | Wolf 359 | Jacobi/Eiffel | 5k | "Alright... Daniel. Why are we having a movie night?" Minkowski never seemed the type to be into movie nights, and Hera probably doesn't get the point. He's beginning to get the feeling this will be the first movie night Eiffel 2.0 is going to remember, and he doesn't know if that's a good thing."Because," Daniel says, passing him a DVD so he has to get up again, "I really want to watch this, and my usual movie-buddy is dead. My backup movie-buddy is also dead. Any further questions?"

 'til your heart goes numb by LuckyDiceKirby | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 1k |  Instead of going out and getting drunk with Rose, Mark goes for a drive.

black sheep and mischief by grim_lupine | Thor | Thor & Loki | 3k | A bird alights on Thor’s shoulder and pecks his cheek twice, hard enough to make him wince.“What are you doing?” it warbles in his ear.“Wondering what my brother is doing up at this hour, little bird,” Thor replies. “Will you go ask him for me?”

(Lines on Palms by Fahye | Captive Prince | Damen/Laurent | 35k | "You're lying," Damen says. "You walked into Akielos and stole something from me.")**

On Tilt by 13th_blackbird | Solo | Han/Lando | 3k |  “You want to play?” Han says, nodding at the cards, before he can think better of it. “Or are you just showing off?”

tell me, get my shit together by paperclipbitch | Solo | Han/Lando | 5k | “I thought we were actively avoiding each other after the Trandosha Shitshow,” Han says.“We’re actively avoiding each other after the Iridonia Shitshow,” Lando corrects him, “the Trandosha Shitshow is That Which We Do Not Speak Of.”

Make Me Feel by Copper_Nails (Her_Madjesty) | Solo | Han/Lando | 2k | Winning the Falcon back is supposed to fill the empty space beneath his ribs. Han told himself this the whole way to Lando, tells it to himself again, now: it’s immensely satisfying to stare up at the ship’s sleek (battered) lines, so he can stop thinking about Crimson Dawn, thanks; can stop thinking about Beckett on the cliffside and Qi’ra, fading like a star in the morning.

Proving It by sailingonstardust | Solo | Han/Lando | 1.5k |  “You know,” Lando interrupts Han in the middle of a story about a seedy club and two twi’leks, “you can talk, and talk, and talk, but I don’t believe half the things you’re saying for even a second.”

one night on the falcon by topaz | Solo | Han/Lando | 3k |  If Han was the kind of guy who thought about things like this, the idea of fucking Lando Calrissian in the ship he'd used to own would have fallen somewhere on the Cool side of the prospective ideas spectrum, probably shading to the Not really likely to happen but still fun to think about group. 

A Cornstalk Fiddle by notbecauseofvictories | Devil Went Down to Georgia | Devil/Johnny | 9k+ |  Where Johnny goes, the Devil follows; where Johnny goes, the Devil is already there.

The Beginning After the End by notbecauseofvictories | Star Wars | Padme & Obi-Wan | 7k |  Padmé wakes to the back of Obi-Wan’s head, his hair mussed and his arms spread, outstretched over her knees as though to shield her from all that would come.

( Stargazers by Ruby_Wednesday | Captive Prince | Laurent/Damen | 90k | Five years after the Truce of Marlas, Damen and Laurent meet again in Delpha. They're forced to work together to soothe the growing tension between their countries. But Laurent does not forgive easily and Damen's not that sorry.)

( One the Other by Ruby_Wednesday | Captive Prince | Laurent/Damen | 200k |  Marlas goes badly for Damen. He goes back to Ios with Laurent as his reluctant ward.)

July

Any More Obvious by idiopathicsmile | Les Mis | Eponine/Cosette | 2k | “Look, folks,” says Musichetta, ten minutes from the end of cheer practice, “we have an audience. A spooky audience.”

speak in tongues by SpineAndSpite | Yuri On Ice | Yuri/Otabek | 7k | The last time Yuri went sightseeing with Otabek it had been the middle of winter, and he only had breath to contemplate the speed of the bike and the warmth of Otabek through his jacket. A crowded bus is a far cry, but he still has the same feeling of displacement--of not knowing what will happen next.

cherry pie by brawlite, ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 133k | Billy Hargrove lives for summer. Endless sunshine, heavily chlorinated pools, roaming ice cream trucks, and unencumbered freedom? There’s nothing better.**

(you hate me) cause i got what you need by brawlite, ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 6k | “You smell like coconuts,” Billy murmurs. “Like the ocean, too.”

Draconia by perceived_nobility | The Bright Sessions | Damien/Mark | 4k | "So I was driving. One ex wife and one ex husband later, stopping at the same fucking gas stations you and I stopped at."

untalked of and unseen by prouvairing | If We Were Villains | James/Oliver | 5k | Four times Oliver and James slept together, and one time they didn’t. Not exactly in that order.

Swipe right by mee4ever | HP | Draco/Harry | 2k | Or then one where Harry swipes right, and it turns out Draco does too.

The Truth by mee4ever | HP | Draco/Harry | 4k | Or the one where Harry is too bloody thick to see the truth, even when it's staring him in the face.

August

Victory Condition by astolat | Transformers | Megatron/Optimus | 39k | “Do you want me to tell you a story?” Megatron said mockingly. “You won’t like it, Prime. It’s not a very nice one.”

chases, escapes, true love, miracles by pepperfield | The Flash | Cisco/Harry | 55k | Just because the timeline has been restored, doesn't mean things are back to normal. Cisco's got 99 problems, and Harry Wells is approximately 38 of them.

Turn by Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo) | Star Wars | Reylo | 9k |  I would kill for you, he thinks at her, inside her, and this is the result of what they just did, the culmination of all of their history together. I would destroy the entire galaxy for this.

You should see the things we do by Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo) | SW | Reylo | 13k | “Maybe Ben will come home from his business trip and bend me over the nearest piece of furniture and fuck me hard and fast.”

Your Pretty Little Heart by Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo) | SW | Reylo | 64k |  “Good. Good little Omega.” He says the words against her gland, almost sweetly, and Rey—Rey is going to die. A wonderful, delicious death. Depraved, all of this. Filthy. Beautiful.

✓✓ Read by Boyue | South Park | Kyle/Stan | 65k | AKA how Stan Marsh met Kyle Broflovski through a dick pic mishap.

Pretend There Is No Wreck by LuckyDiceKirby | The Flash | Harrisco | 11k | Cisco and Harry figure out how to not kill each other, and also maybe how to talk about their feelings.

the cure by aquaexplicit | The Flash | Harrisco | 43k | “I guess I don’t really get what you need to fix? Harrison Wells is a hot, rich genius that pays you to make cool stuff with his daughter and is totally into you. If you guys boning is the biggest problem you have, I think this officially qualifies as your best relationship ever.”

and everything nice by perzimon | Voltron | Sheith | 5k | when he's beautiful and you love him but he can't make toast, the fic

hello, i love you, won't you tell me your name by perzimon | Voltron | Sheith | 12k | Keith's human enough to have wisdom teeth and unlucky enough to need them extracted. The team despairs.

Unexpected Developments by mific | SGA | McShep | 14k | Detective John Sheppard after Vegas (S5E19). His near-fatal wound's slowly healing and he's got his old job back, but then someone turns up unexpectedly who's a greater mystery than any of the cases on John's desk, and John has to make some hard choices.

teach me something new by tagteamme | Voltron | Sheith | 64k | Keith and Lance accidentally get into trouble. Shiro is the TA that has to Deal With It™.

to go, to follow, to kneel at your feet by arahir | Voltron | Sheith | 12k | They think it will be funny to leave him with a Galra in heat.

called out your name (but it was too late) by arahir | Voltron | Sheith, Griffin/Keith | 5k | Walk into the Garrison like—wait, what the fuck, is that Keith? Or: an old classmate watches Keith fall in love with someone else.

To Consummate is to Burn by the_glow_worm | Spinning Silver | Miryem/The Staryk | 6k | Miryem, the Staryk, and their wedding night.

The Time-Traveller's Portion by PutItBriefly | Pride & Prejudice | Elizabeth/Darcy | 7k | Darcy always knew she was to be his wife. He just didn't know she was poor.

September

songs about love by sarahyyy | YOI | Yuri/Otabek | 8k | In the embedded Instagram photo just under that subheading, a very grumpy Yuri is cuddling a very grumpy-looking cat. The caption reads: I found the cat version of me at the shelter today. #iknowisaidnomorecats #canyoublameme

Between the Lines by Dementordelta | Harry Potter | Snarry | 22k | Harry discovers a secret in his Potions text and a friend in the Half-Blood Prince.

More Than Gravity by JenTheSweetie | Marvel | Stony | 20k | “Aw, time travel, no.”On Christmas Eve, Tony came unstuck in time.

Of an Arcane Binding by Salvia_G | The Hobbit | Thilbo | 44k | An inexplicable magic ties Bilbo Baggins, hobbit of the Shire, to Thorin, dwarven prince of Erebor.

Back and Forth by kiyala | Yuri On Ice | Yuri/Otabek | 4k | Yuri convinces Otabek to get snapchat, just to send selfies of himself making faces at Victor and Yuuri. He gets more than he expected.

your tongue is sharp, but i miss the taste of it by thecopperkid | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 7k | Billy had one job -- don't take off the scarf. / Science is probably not Steve's strong suit, but he's really trying to make sense of why Billy's suddenly found him so appealing.

Things Already Said by balloonwhisk | The Bright Sessions | Damien/Mark | 4k | Damien gets a not entirely unwelcome early morning surprise.

Wreak Havoc by myfandomsareinfinite | EOS 10 | Ryan/Akmazian | 8k | Five Times Ryan Dalias Saved Akmazian's Life (Sort of) and One Time Akmazian Saved Ryan's (Sort Of).

you will see what it is to be overcome by magneticwave | Star Trek | Spirk | 10k | What kind of an idiot would try to explain magic to a Vulcan.

Bloody Ruin by esama | Castlevania | Alucard/Trevor | 37k | Vampire hunter and a vampire try to get along.

Minus 1 by Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo) | Star Wars | Reylo | 6k | The text—'What’s up, daddy?'—was originally intended for Finn.

Paint it, red by CeruleanHeart | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 3k | " That's a pretty color..." Billy repeated and stepped closer, crowding Steve against the door "... for a pretty boy."

October

a road less traveled and a life less led by Azzandra | Dishonored | Gen, Outsider & Billie | 9k | She took him out of the Void, as promised.And then she kept him, she supposed.

Changing the Sound of Your Name by Agrotera | Dishonored | Outsider/Corvo | 14k |  It was the first thing she said to him when they stumbled out of the Void. You’re going to need a name. Emerging from the dark into what promised to be a lifetime of questions impossible to answer, and she broached the hardest one first.

if the end comes (don't let us hear it) by Kandakicksass | Dishonored | Outsider/Corvo | 5k |  "He comes in like a ghost in the fall of 1854."

Work of All Saints by antistar_e (kaikamahine) | Coco | Hector/Imelda/Ernesto | 210k | Imelda Rivera (b. 1899 - d. 1969), a story that includes but is not limited to: the finest music school this side of the Santo Domingo, three traveling musicians and the mess they made of love, the twice-cursed assassination of Venustiano Carranza, all the patron saints, and ninety-six ways a man can try to cross a bridge.**

Traveling Far by astolat | GOT | Jaime/Brienne | 24k |  Three weeks into their delightful slog across Westeros, during yet another charming day of shitting in the woods, eating half-raw squirrel, and trudging his feet bloody, the single most dour and uninteresting woman Jaime had ever met in all of Westeros stopped in the middle of a field, drew a deep breath, and said, “When I was seven, my aunt came to visit with her son. My father told me that as the daughter of the house, it was my duty to show hospitality to my guests and to be gracious to them. I wanted to make him proud. So for three weeks, I let my cousin follow me around and talk to me about spiders.”

insert baseball pun here by hoppnhorn | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 6k |  He’s considering taking up smoking again if it keeps him from trying to pick up Steve in the middle of the office. That’s really the last thing that he needs to do, start fucking around with someone he works with. He had sex with a coworker one time back in college when he worked at some shitty deli and that had devolved into his manhood being threatened with a meat slicer.

Regrowth by moogle62 | Uprooted | Agnieszka/The Dragon | 1k |  Agnieszka’s wood-green cottage stands waiting for her when she leads Sarkan carefully by the hand back home. They wind through the trees together and only she does not flinch at the stray touch of branches. The Wood has known her too completely, now, for her to mistake friend for foe.

I just met you (and this is crazy) by littlesystems | Captain America | Steve/Bucky | 41k | After Steve gets outed by a grainy cell phone picture, it takes the media less than 24 hours to discover Captain America’s secret relationship with James Barnes: classical musician, teen heartthrob, and son of a former president.The only problem? Steve has never met James Barnes in his life.

will you chew until it bleeds? by brawlite | Venom | Venom/Eddie | 7k |  Venom drags Eddie into a seedy club out of sheer curiosity. Trying to make the most of a night he didn't choose for himself, Eddie tries to get laid. Instead, he gets mugged. Afterwards, Venom doesn't let Eddie feel too disappointed about the missed opportunity. 

devil's backbone by starscry | Castlevania | Alucard/Trevor Belmont | 3k |  “Come, now. I’ve seen you stalking around, pent up like a bitch in heat. You’re quite high-strung; it’s beginning to wear on the others, me included,” the vampire drawls. His sharp eyes find Trevor’s, narrowing slyly. “You need a good fuck.”

Steam and Skin by LuciferianRising | Castlevania | Alucard/Trevor | 5k |  He wanted to spare Sypha the horror of having to share a bath with either of them, but Trevor never imagined choosing to share it with Alucard would lead to this. He's not exactly complaining, however.

November

when the devil comes to plea (he'll be running quicker than you've ever seen) by Hornswaggler | EOS 10 | Ryan/Akmazian | 3k | Akmazian runs with some pretty shady people. Akmazian is a pretty shady person. Now the Destroyer of Stars has developed something of a soft spot. Not all of his employees approve.

like it's supposed to by Hornswaggler | EOS 10 | Ryan/Akmazian | 2k | Ryan is consistently busy. Luckily for him, that means he's consistently distracted from things he'd really rather not think about.Unluckily for him, he's apparently not too busy for impromptu visits from one of the most wanted men in the system.

a lesson in cartography by novembersmith | Uprooted | Agnieska/Sarkan | 7k | “I will never cease to be amazed at your unequaled talent for creating chaos out of the simplest components. You were meant to be scrying and map-making. What were you doing?”

heart on a string by jilliancares | She-Ra | Adora/Catra | A good Force Captain would do a lot of things that Catra wouldn’t, like not pulling their punches when fighting Adora and not sneaking into Castle Bright Moon for anything less than evil purposes. Unfortunately, Catra wasn’t a very good Force Captain, despite striving all her life to become one.No, everything had changed when Adora wandered into the stupid Whispering Woods to find a moral compass. Little did she know she was dragging Catra’s heart on a string behind her.

December

Aia ke ola i Motunui by asteriae | Moana | Moana/Maui | 25k | The trouble with saving the world and returning home a hero with a demigod by your side, is it really scares off potential suitors.

lilies of the valley (cover me with kisses, make my garden grow) by diasterisms | Star Wars | Reylo | 8k | Every girl is entitled to the mistake. That one colossal fuck-up that permanently alters the terrain of who you are. You'll either learn from it or you won't, so might as well have the time of your life.

Astronomical Odds by xzombiexkittenx for Cinnamaldeide | Hannibal | Hannigram | 2.5k |  Picked up a hitchhiker last night. He said, “Thanks! how do you know I’m not a serial killer though?” I replied, “The chances of two serial killers being in the same car are astronomical.”

meet me in the woods tonight by brawlite, ToAStranger | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 86k | There’s something in the woods of Hawkins, Indiana.

Notes of Noy, Notes of Joy by pendrecarc | Spinning Silver | Miryem/The Staryk | 5k | "I might wander ten thousand years in the goblin depths and never find a way out again...."Miryem descends into the depths with no more than a dagger in her hand, a mirror about her neck, and a song in her heart to bring her husband out again.

if you don't like the company, let's just do it you and me by hoppnhorn, thecopperkid | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 9k |  “Stevie, Stevie, Stevie,” Billy tuts, and it’s nearly sickening, too fucking good, the way he looks like he can think of nothing better than digging his teeth into Steve Harrington. “Look at you. What’re we gonna do with you, huh? Tell me what you want, pretty boy.”

B-Sides by notbecauseofvictories | Devil Went Down to Georgia | The Devil/Johnny | 5k | All the tunes that didn't make the cut.

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

June

Steve Rogers | Elegy

Lucifer | Heaven's Door

in my veins | keith

[𝙺𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴] WAVES

Voltron | Rise 

VOLTRON || H O M E || Season 6

Eleven || I'm this way because of you

July

Tenth Doctor | Reminiscence 

Lucifer | Heaven's Door

Marvel || Where are you now? (Faded)

Stranger Things | Heroes

What if THOR RAGNAROK had an anime opening?

August

the maze [multifandom]

Gilbert Blythe || The last, the only

K E I T H // "I won't quit" (6x07)

(Marvel) Avengers | Sacrifice

sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴏʀ (ᴇᴘɪᴄ) // {Voltron AMV} ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ sᴇᴀsᴏɴ 𝟼 sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs

Voltron | Rise (Season 6)

sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ // {Voltron AMV} ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ sᴇᴀsᴏɴ 𝟼 sᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀs

Marvel | We Will Rock You

infinity war || bleeding heart

How Far We've Come - Voltron AMV (s1-s6)

Kylo Ren | Look What You Made Me Do

Way Down We Go｜Detroit: Become Human

Loki // Hustler

Born ready [VOLTRON]

You could be h̶a̶p̶p̶y̶ and I won't know

ʜᴏᴡ ғᴀʀ ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ

voltron s7 | home

VOLTRON || FIX YOU || Season 7

almost everything;

Infinity War || Flesh and Bone

Broken People || Avengers Infinity War

September

Marvel || Death is not the End

Blood//Water || Voltron Legendary Defender

The Wolf|Voltron| AMV

Harry Potter || Across this New Divide

► I Like Me Better

Game of Thrones | Flesh and Bone [6K]

October

The Byers || We can fix it, together

Legion || The World Killer

Infinity War || Violet Hill

Mike & Eleven || Out of the darkness

My Hero Academia「AMV」|| You Can Become A Hero

MARVEL || Stronger [The Score]

Peter + Roman | he hurt you

peter & roman | animals

November

N/A

December

Excelsior, Stan Lee

[Catradora] Ｔｈｅ Ｅｎｅｍｙ

Avengers: Endgame - (Logan Style)

2018 --Trailers Mashup

X Ambassadors - UNSTEADY | Official Dance Video #LoveisLove

2018 Movie Trailer Mashup

just a machine? [Detroit: Become Human] *HBD Pteryx*

who are you? | Connor | Detroit: Become Human

Detroit: Become Human || Paralyzed

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

June

Emeli Sande - Daddy

EMPIRES Hello Lover

Stupid | Brendan Maclean

Chaos Chaos - Do You Feel It?

GHITA - Mindfvck

Olivia O'Brien - Fuck Feelings

gnash - i hate u, i love u ft. olivia o'brien

Paradise Valley | Honey and the Sting

Hidden Citizens - Hazy Shade of Winter

Attila the King | Nick Glennie-Smith

Lawless - Crossing Over (feat. IO Echo)

Is This the End | Joseph William Morgan

Man or a Monster | Sam Tinnesz(feat. Zayde Wølf)

EXPERIENCE - LUDOVICO EINAUDI

Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing, Sense8 Remix ft Zoe Wise 

Moonlight End Credits | Nicholas Britell

July

Ori and the Blind Forest Soundtrack

Little Sadie - Crooked Still

That Feeling When - Dagny

Asylums for the Feeling - Silent Poets

Starboy - The Weeknd

Lash Out - Alice Merton

Liztomania - Phoenix

Alice - Fields and Planes

Little Black Submarines - The Black Keys

Ahead By a Century - The Tragically Hip

Can I Sit Next To You - Spoon

Fantasy Reading Soundtrack

Watercast Soundtrack

HAEVN - The Sea

August

Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youths

Ocean Size - Jane’s Addiction

174 Hours - Jeff Russo

you should see me in a crown - billie eilish

the trapper and the furrier - regina spektor

the war - syml

lion - saint mesa

island - svrcina

who are you - svrcina

lovely - billie eilish

hold me - the sweeplings

natural - imagine dragons

mermaid - skott

sky full of song - florence + the machine

music to watch boys to - lana del rey

road river and rail - cocteau twins

hypnos - daemonia nymphe

in a landscape - john cage

mmm mmm mmm mmm - crash test dummies

queendom - aurora

ordinary world - duran duran

September

silent lucidity - queensryche

friends - marshmello

popular - nada surf

song of the sea lullaby - nolwenn leroy

flesh and bone - black math

the wolf - siames

broken people- rag n bone man & logic

nina cried power ep - hozier

kol nidrey - the yuval ron ensemble

amen - for king & country

stronger - the score

rise like a phoenix - conchita wurst

heroes - mans zelmerlow

cut to the feeling - carly rae jepsen

electrified - just loud

all my friends - the revivalists

the way you used to do - queens of the stone age

the morning after - maureen mcgovern

killer shangri-lah - psychotic beats

work it out - effee

sous les aquarelles - ingrid st-pierre

the other side - greatest showman ensemble

the greatest show -  greatest showman ensemble

never enough - loren allred

this is me -  greatest showman ensemble

October

SOS - Cher

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! - Cher

Dancing Queen - Cher

Perfect Opening Line  - The Frames

Twin Fawn - Chelsea Wolfe

The Plains/Bitter Dancer - Fleet Foxes

Don’t Fall In Love - Still Corners

Acid Rain - Lorn

One Night Only - The Struts

Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt

Always Starting Over - Idina Menzel

Ghost of John - Kristin Lawrence

Fernando - Cher

The Ancestors - Dario Marianelli

November

Turn Back Time - Cher

It’s Quiet Uptown - Kelly Clarkson

Stranger Things - Facing West

Saturn - Sleeping At Last

The Origin of Love - Hedwig

December

DJ Earworm Mashup - United State of Pop 2018 (Turnin' It Up)

DECADE OF POP | The Megamix (2008-2018) // by Adamusic

MASHUP 2018 "THE GREATEST HOPE" - 2018 Year End Mashup

DANCE TO 2018 | YEAR END MEGAMIX (MASHUP) // by Adamusic

Vivaldi Recomposed by Max Richter

WRITTEN FIC

June

and i'm always tired, but never of you | The Bright Sessions | Sam/Damien/Mark | 10,405 words | Sam runs into Damien at the grocery store two years later. It changes everything.  

July

N/A

August

tides will bring me back to you | Kingdom Hearts | Axel/Roxas | 7,383 words | When Axel was sixteen, he did something stupid. He and a couple of his friends took his mom’s car up to the mountains, where they’d spent the better part of the day drinking bottles of stolen liquor and staggering along a heavily forested trail, laughing and bumping into trees as they went. As it was getting dark, they’d ended up near the end of it, where the heavy brush of the trees gave way to open sky and sea, a quiet little cove in the middle of nowhere.Then, one of his friends said, “I dare you to go in the water.”

September

Smallest Light | Stranger Things | Gen, El & Will | 5,165 words | In the summer of 1986, Will’s mom marries Jim Hopper. OR, Will and El learn how to be real people again together.

October

N/A

November

i don't want to rest in peace, we can haunt each other's dreams | EOS 10 | Ryan/Akmazian | 1,520 words |  In the dream, Ryan wakes up and Akmazian is there. 

December

Looking For Atlantis | SGA | Mcshep | 4,632 words | Hey Rodney, the postcard reads. Go see a movie.

keep your heart open (i'll keep mine open too) | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 7,915 words | “Did you even like me before you found out I was your soulmate?” Billy murmurs as he kisses a line down Steve’s throat.

FANMIXES/GRAPHICS

December

2018 Playlist

[swede1952]

Eye to Eye

This goldfinch (Spinus tristis) was looking at me with this sly look in his eye.

"When Brown-headed Cowbirds lay eggs in an American Goldfinch nest, the cowbird egg may hatch but the nestling seldom survives longer than three days. The cowbird chick simply can’t survive on the all-seed diet that goldfinches feed their young." - allaobutbirds.org

@birdcounter

[abersoldoutdoors]

The American Goldfinch is a voracious little bird thats diet consists of only seeds. At least they are okay with sharing. #goldfinch #americangoldfinch #birdwatching #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #wildlifephotography https://www.instagram.com/p/B_FgSm_JrFa/?igshid=rkkyi74ug6fp

[nunoxaviermoreira]

Tundra Swan middle Creek 801 by zwzzjim Since 1998, bald eagles have been full-time residents at the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. The sizable stick nest, characteristic of bald eagles, sits in the forked branches of a sturdy red oak along the south shore of the lake. The nest is secure within the restricted Propagation Area, where entry is prohibited. The eagle pair guards its territory and shows little tolerance for other eagles in the area, particularly other adult eagles. Between late winter and early spring, the eagle nest is visible from several locations around the lake. Just north of the Visitors Center, a parking lot on the east side of Hopeland Road provides access to Willow Point, an observation area with a panoramic view of the upper end of the lake. The enjoyable hike to Willow Point takes about 10 minutes and is an easy, mostly level walk. From Willow Point, the distant nest is visible to the east with a spotting scope or binoculars. A flooded stand of dead trees protrudes from the water across the lake. Eagles often perch in the snags, particularly in the largest of the stand. After March 1, when the wildlife driving tour opens, visitors can follow the auto route past Stop #3, which leads to the opposite side of the snag area and nest site. Driving past this tour stop and just beyond the gated crossroads there is a good vantage point along the road to view the nest. A little farther on the tour, Stop #4 provides another location to spot eagles and the nest, probably the closest view. A good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope enhances eagle watching at Middle Creek, and late April is probably the best time to watch nesting activity. At this time, the nest is bustling with the adult eagles feeding and tending to the growing eaglets and deciduous trees have not leafed-out yet. Once trees attain their spring foliage, the eagle nest becomes concealed in the dense canopy. Check with Visitors Center staff for where-to-go details for eagles and other wildlife. The bald eagle pair inhabits Middle Creek throughout the year, fishing the shallow lake and surrounding ponds in all seasons. As open water diminishes with the frigid temperatures of winter and as opportunity presents itself, the eagles sometimes switch their diet from fish to waterfowl, which is almost always available here. The eagles most often prey on weak and injured ducks, geese and swans. The 360-acre main impoundment and about 70 additional acres of marsh-lined ponds, puddles and potholes along with the surrounding land provide vital food, cover and protected space for many wildlife species. More than 275 species of birds have been spotted throughout the seasons, including 23 species of ducks, five species of geese, loons, cormorants and grebes. Many of the birds pass through during spring and fall migrations, but 109 species breed and nest at Middle Creek. This property is designated as an Important Bird Area in PennsylvaniaOpens In A New Window and recognized as a Globally Significant Important Bird AreaOpens In A New Window because a large percent of the world's population of tundra swans and snow geese utilize Middle Creek as a staging ground during the northbound migration in late winter and early spring. Each February and March, at least 5,000 tundra swans come to Middle Creek to rest and feed. Numbers vary yearly and up to 15,000 swans may stop here on their way northward. Large whistling strings of swans descend out of the late winter skies over the complex and surrounding landscape. Depending on weather, the stay may be brief or last for weeks. With the loss of many southern wetlands, tundra swans have switched somewhat to agricultural areas for winter foraging. As their name indicates, these swans are bound for the great northern boreal wetlands. In North America, tundra swans are often called whistling swans. Snow geese numbers may exceed 170,000 birds, an unimaginable spectacle that attracts many human visitors. This staging along the Atlantic Flyway is marked by seemingly endless formations of white geese filling the skyline, flying to and from the surrounding agricultural fields. The massive flocks settle on the lake and periodically rise by the tens of thousands in a deafening cacophony. Like the swans, their stay is unpredictable and the birds may leave and continue north toward arctic breeding grounds at any time. In front of the Visitors Center, Hopeland Road passes between the main impoundment and a pond. A variety of ducks frequent this end of the lake and the pond. It is a good location to spot mallards, black ducks, green-winged teal, northern pintails, northern shovelers, gadwalls, American wigeon, ring-necked ducks and common mergansers during spring migration. Many of these ducks also migrate through in autumn. Some of the harder-to-spot ducks include buffleheads, ruddy ducks, lesser scaup, hooded mergansers, blue-winged teal and wood ducks. The best location to find wood ducks is at the series of ponds at the dead end road just before turning right to reach Stop #4 on the driving tour. Canada geese are commonly found year-round throughout the fields surrounding the lake and ponds. The ponds and streams that attract waterfowl also provide viewing opportunities for belted kingfishers and other smaller water birds. Ospreys often are seen in spring and fall during migration. As the driving tour leaves Hopeland Road, the tour passes through a small section of woodland and then opens to grasslands and crop fields as it meets Chapel Road. A right- or left-hand turn on Chapel Road will provide opportunities to encounter grassland birds, such as grasshopper sparrows, bobolinks, red-winged blackbirds and eastern meadowlarks. American kestrels, red-tailed hawks and northern harriers hunt these fields for voles, mice and other prey. Eastern bluebirds and tree swallows are common near the bird boxes throughout the complex. Killdeer, spotted sandpipers and least sandpipers are common at the muddy edges of the ponds and puddles while lesser and greater yellowlegs may be found wading in the shallow waters. The pools also are a place to find blue-winged teal, Wilson's snipe, green herons, solitary sandpipers and rusty blackbirds in migration. Songbirds like the gray catbird, northern cardinal, willow flycatcher, yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, eastern towhee and brown thrasher may be seen in the shrubby areas bordering the woodlands and fields. Both Baltimore and orchard orioles can be found in the tall trees at Middle Creek. The woodlands and their edges are good places to find the eastern wood-pewee, great crested flycatcher, wood thrush, veery and ovenbird. Hedgerows and open areas give you a chance to see tail-wagging eastern phoebe, the indominatible eastern kingbird, as well as the ever-popular and colorful indigo bunting and American goldfinch. In winter, the open fields of Middle Creek can be good places to spot rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, or, perhaps, short-eared owls, in addition to the resident red-tailed hawks. Horned larks, American pipits and snow buntings are among the prized open field birds that can be spotted on snowy fields. https://flic.kr/p/2f6sB2Y

[kristablogs]

Expert-approved ways to feed all your favorite birds

A ruby-throated hummingbird dips into a nectar feeder. An East Coast favorite, the species can be harmed by yard predators like praying mantises and bacteria in unclean equipment. (Jeremy Lwanga/Unsplash/)

Julian Avery is an assistant research professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at Pennsylvania State University. This story originally featured on The Conversation.

Millions of Americans enjoy feeding and watching backyard birds. Many people make a point of putting food out in winter, when birds needs extra energy, and spring, when many species build nests and raise young.

As a wildlife ecologist and a birder, I know it’s important to understand how humans influence bird populations, whether feeding poses risks to wild birds, and how to engage with birds in sustainable ways.

There’s still much to learn about the risks and benefits of feeding birds, particularly through large integrated national citizen science networks like Project FeederWatch. But we now have enough information to promote healthy interactions that can inspire future generations to care about conservation.

View this post on Instagram

Look at this #beauty .... I spent some time watching #birds while out in the field yesterday and it dawned on me how cool #whitebreastednuthatch feet are! Their monstrous #toes allow them to orient in any direction they want to when clinging to a tree. Their bill is an impressive #tool too, they hammer open seeds and will even widen nest cavities with it! 💪🏼#beastmode • • • • #getoutside #exploreeverything #biodiversity #boss #beast #birdfeeder #birdwatching #birdphotography #kings_birds #nuts_about_birds #audubon @canonusa #teamcanon #birding #sunflower #musclemilk #muscle #nature_sultans #wildlife #feederwatch @shaverscreek @agsciences #birdseed @audubonsociety

A post shared by Julian Avery (@evolutionavery) on Feb 19, 2020 at 12:18pm PST

A long-term relationship

Birds have been taking advantage of human civilization for thousands of years, congregating where grains and waste are abundant. This means that people have been influencing the abundance and distribution of species for a very long time.

Studies show that providing food has myriad effects on birds’ decisions, behaviors, and reproduction. One significant finding is that winter bird feeding increases individual survival rates, can encourage birds to lay eggs earlier in the year, and can also improve nestling survival.

All of these factors alter species’ future reproductive performance and can increase total bird abundance in later years. It’s not always clear how increased abundance of feeder birds impacts other species through competition, but rarer and smaller species can be excluded.

This interactive diagram, based on community science data, shows how North America’s top 13 feeder species fare when they compete at feeders. Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Supplemental food has also led to reduced reproductive success in a few species. This may happen because it improves survival odds for less healthy birds that otherwise would be unlikely to survive and reproduce, or because it leads birds to eat fewer types of natural foods, making their diets less nourishing.

Changing bird behavior

Research also shows that birds are extremely promiscuous. One review examined 342 species and found that in approximately 75 percent, birds had one or more side partners in addition to their nest mate.

It’s not always clear why birds cheat, but several studies have found that supplemental feeding can reduce the amount of infidelity in certain species, including house sparrows. This hints that feeding birds might alter their behavior and have an effect on genetic variation in urban populations.

For birds that provide pollinating services, like hummingbirds and lorikeets, there is some evidence that providing them with sugar water—which mimics the nectar they collect from plants—can reduce their visits to native plants. This means they will transfer less pollen. Since much bird feeding happens in densely populated urban areas, it’s unclear how much impact this might have.

Some bird populations depend completely on feeding and would collapse over the winter without it. For example, Anna’s hummingbirds in British Columbia rely on heated feeders. Other species, such as hummingbirds in the southwest US, have become more locally abundant. Northern cardinals and American goldfinches have shifted and expanded their ranges northward with the availability of food.

In one incredible instance, garden feeders seem to have played a role in establishing a new wintering population of migratory blackcaps in the UK. This group is now genetically distinct from the rest of the population, which migrates further south to Mediterranean wintering grounds.

Don’t feed the predators

Scientists still know little about how bird feeding affects transmission of pathogens and parasites among birds. It is not uncommon for birds at feeders to carry more pathogens than populations away from feeders. Some well-documented outbreaks in the US and UK have shown that feeding birds can increase problems associated with disease—evidence that was collected through feeder-watch citizen science projects.

Because we still have a poor understanding of pathogen transmission and prevalence in urban areas, it’s extremely important to follow hygiene guidelines for feeding and be alert for new recommendations.

Feeding can also attract predators. Domestic cats kill an estimated 1.3 to 4 billion birds in the US every year. Feeders should not be placed in settings where cats are present, and pet cats should be kept indoors.

Feeders can also support both native and introduced birds that outcompete local species. One study found that feeders attracted high numbers of crows, which prey on other birds’ chicks, with the result that less than 1 percent of nearby American robin nests fledged young. In New Zealand, bird feeding largely benefits seed-eating introduced species at the expense of native birds.

Clean feeders and diverse diets

The good news is that studies don’t show birds becoming dependent on supplemental food. Once started, though, it is important to maintain a steady food supply during harsh weather.

Birds also need access to native plants, which provide them with habitat, food, and insect prey that can both supplement diets and support species that don’t eat seeds at feeders. Diverse food resources can counteract some of the negative findings I’ve mentioned related to competition between species and impacts on bird diets.

Good maintenance, placement and cleaning can help minimize the likelihood of promoting pathogens at feeders. Initiatives like Project FeederWatch have recommendations about feeder design and practices to avoid. For example, platform feeders, where birds wade through the food, are associated with higher mortality, possibly through mixing of waste and food.

It’s also important to manage the area around feeders. Be sure to place feeders in ways that minimize the likelihood that birds will fly into windows. For instance, avoid providing a sight line through a house, which birds may perceive as a corridor, and break up window reflections with decals.

There are lots of great reasons to bring birds into your life. Evidence is growing that interacting with nature is good for our mental health and builds public support for conserving plants and wildlife. In my view, these benefits outweigh many of the potential negatives of bird feeding. And if you get involved in a citizen science project, you can help scientists track the health and behavior of your wild guests.