Lesser Goldfinch Female Sitting On Her Nest photos by Larry Jordan
The Lesser Goldfinch female does all the incubating for the pair. The male will feed her during the eleven or twelve days it takes the 4 or 5 blueish-white eggs to hatch. I estimate that the nest is about 15 feet high in this oak tree so I won’t be able to see the eggs.
Moving very slowly and deliberately, I sat atop a 12 foot ladder to get these photos. She adjusted to my presence very quickly, only moving around in the nest when the wind came up. Notice how well protected her nest site is from the blazing heat we have here. It is surrounded by oak leaves that I noticed her moving around as she built the nest last week.
Since I saw her build this nest I have calculated, with the time taken to lay the eggs and incubated them, we should be able to observe this pair of Lesser Goldfinches feeding their chicks in a couple of weeks! That’s one of my favorite bird behaviors to watch.
Stay tuned for what I hope will be some great shots of baby Lesser Goldfinches being fed by their parents. In the meantime, check out all the other great bird photos at Bird Photography Weekly.
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Very well captured Larry, looking forward to more shots as the nesting progresses.
Toms last blog post..Dunlins
Great photos and how lovely to be able to watch these birds as they nest. Be careful up that ladder! I speak from painful experience!!
Micks last blog post..Blue-faced Honeyeater
Great photos look forward to seeing the young ones.
Neils last blog post..Magpie Geese
Great post Larry.
So the male doesn’t help with the incubating. And he didn’t help building the nest either. I wonder if he’s going to help with the feeding in a few weeks. 🙂
gwendolens last blog post..Dancing Jackdaw | BPW #40
Keep ’em coming, Larry. I’m glad you are having good weather up there. It’s been cloudy here all week.
Great update Larry! I am in a similar situation with Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Found the nest and will begin documenting the raising of the family.
MaineBirders last blog post..BPW: Common Eider Duckling
You went to great heights to get those cute shots of the well camoflaged nest. Look forward to the great hatching event.
Arijas last blog post..Watery Wednesday ~ 3 & Bird Photography Weekly 13
I like the way you have documented this Goldfinch in such details. It does require a lot of patience and perseverance to do this.
Thomass last blog post..Wildlife Moment – Peafowl courtship dance