Return of the Goldfinches?

This morning around 11 AM we got a phone call from my buddy (and Terry's cousin) Joe. It was a return call the subject of which was his son's wedding taking place this July 4th up near Portland, Maine. We were curious as to any recommendation regarding accommodations and activities and such as it is time to start making summer plans.

One thing lead to another and Joe, who moved out from NJ to an area about 60 miles south of here in southeast Clinton County near I-80 last spring, started castigating me for not warning him about how much snow there was here in central PA. I had to laugh since the area he moved to got lots more snow than the Aerie last year and we've had even more than he has this year. He says he managed to plant his strawberries and rhubarb last weekend but they are now under a blanket of white. Meanwhile his tomato and pepper seeds have sprouted and are doing real well on his windowsill. (If I were to plant either tomatoes or peppers at the Aerie, I would have to either wait until the end of May or think of cloches to guard against frost.)

Any who, we went on to talk about birds. I lamented I hadn't seen a Goldfinch since last Thanksgiving but had hordes of Redpolls and Dark-eyed Juncos raiding the feeders every day. He, on the other hand, said the Goldfinches were all over his feeders but he only had a couple of Redpolls and Juncos. This just 60 miles south of here.

We said our good-byes and wished each other well and added a prayer for a rapidly arriving spring.

I'm sitting in the living room and glance out the window at the birds at the tray on the deck expecting to see the usual crowd. But, wait! That is a Goldfinch in there with the Redpolls! Ever so slightly larger than the Redpolls with very black wings sporting two very bright, white bars. There was even a little hint of yellowish green beneath the chin. And then there was another. I got up to look over on the side where the other feeders hang and there were a couple more mixed in with the Redpolls. One was definitely a mature male just about half way through the molt into his bright yellow mating plumage.

I reached for the camera, but by the time I had retrieved it and fitted the proper lens onto it, ALL the birds had disappeared. And the Goldies did not return when the Redpolls and Juncos did.

That's okay, though. All is right with the world. The Goldfinches are still about. (Or maybe Joe just shooed a few this way.)

******

Meanwhile, it was just 12 degrees this morning at 7 AM but even that was up from yesterday. Could have been much worse since the breeze is still blowing out of the north-northwest and there wasn't a hint of a cloud in the sky all night--or today, for that matter. Bright, bright sunshine but precious little warmth (only got to 34 yesterday and 33 degrees today at 2:45 PM). Tonight will be another chilly one with 10 degrees a possibility by morning. Looking at the long range forecasts, the precip is out of Wednesday but a possibility on Friday/Saturday. Then things start warming up for the first full week of April. (By warming I mean we get back to the average high temperatures.)