It was a recent winter day with unseasonably warm temperatures and I looked out at my backyard birdbath to see if it needed filling.
I saw two birds splashing and bathing, preening and hopping around. A male and female lesser goldfinch.
These were my first goldfinches of the season and it was a treat to watch them frolic in the birdbath. All too soon, they flew away.
The male was the eastern “black-backed” form and featured a glossy black above and yellow below. The female had a greenish back and light yellow underparts.
Lesser goldfinches build cuplike nests in bushes or trees. They breed in Texas from mid-March to late June and pairs may stay together all through the winter. Often found in large flocks, they forage through fields and thickets and often visit suet feeders.
If you’d like to see this colorful little bird, put in a birdbath or other water feature. And don’t forget to look outside now and then – you never know what will be there.