Enchanting Gold Finch Evokes Sweet Memories: Linda Schaub

I think ol' Mother Nature has hoodwinked us into thinking it is still Summer when it is really Fall.

I know I stepped outside yesterday and immediately decided that I needed another layer to warm me up. I ran into the house and grabbed my hoodie, which I later shrugged out of, then looped it around my waist by the time I had reached the second walking loop. Today was more temperate, but still refreshing.

Down at the Park, the sun was already a massive bright-yellow orb in the sky when I saw him, this little Golden Boy, with plumage that mimicked that bright-yellow sun.

But ... he didn’t see me.

I decided that this encore sighting of the beautiful goldfinch would not be marred by any sudden movements on my part, so I stopped in my tracks, and stood absolutely still, slowly drawing the camera ever so slightly out of the pouch and guiding it up to my face. He was still preoccupied with enjoying his treat. Success!

This little fella was immersed in a tall patch of weeds or flowers, so I shot a few pictures of him from far away, as I was inching slowly toward him with the speed of a worm. The easily recognizable black-and-yellow markings on his feathers sure stood out in the pale background. I continued approaching him, and still he didn’t budge, instead pushing his beak down lower into the flower.

I took at least a dozen pictures, then he shifted his grip on a stalk and was then behind the tall stems, so I stopped watching him through the camera, and instead watched him intensely with my eyes. He so reminded me of my beloved bird Buddy, that I momentarily felt awash in memories as I watched Golden Boy’s actions, between the swift and jerky tail movements, to how he secured himself on the stem to better reach those seeds. Buddy used to stomp down onto his toasted bagel piece with one tiny foot to be in a better position to devour it, just as soon as I moved my hand away, signaling it was cool enough for him to eat.

It’s been eight months since I lost my little pet and I truly felt sad watching this vibrant yellow bird.

But ... in short order, I had to smile when this goldfinch struck a somewhat defiant pose as if to say “what do you want - I’m eating here!” Just like Buddy would have done, that little rascal.

Well, I hovered around this area and got all the pictures I could and Golden Boy made no move to fly away, which was pretty incredible, as birds are usually skittish, even when they have some food that makes them reluctant to part with it once they see a human coming near them.

I tucked the camera back into the pouch, zipped it shut and hurried on my way to finish up three complete loops, plus my walk to and from Council Point Park, which added another five miles to my tally for 2017.

A wee birdie and a whole lotta memories on a bright and sunny day.

You can catch up on my blog posts before I started blogging at Patch in August 2013 by going here: http://lindaschaubblog.net/