Date: 4/9/26 7:56 pm From: Dan Airola via groups.io <d.airola...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] American Goldfinches query
In Sacramento, they often congregate in trees that are just budding out in spring. The buds are nutritious. It can be very busy and noisy. Not fire related I would guess
Dan Airola
Conservation Research and Planning
<d.airola...>
916/494-1283
> On Apr 9, 2026, at 5:46 PM, Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> wrote:
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> On 2026-04-09 5:26 pm, mendojanet via groups.io wrote:
>> Hi all. It’s normal for my backyard on S Dora in the Oak Knoll area to host up to half a dozen American goldfinches.
>> On Monday I took a walk southward and there were trees FULL of them, conversing like crazy. It was amazingly loud.
>> And for the past several days I routinely have three dozen or more all day, on the feeder, on the ground, at the water bowl. The males outnumber the females. I have never seen anything like this. It’s delightful but weird. Is it possibly due to the massive prescribed burn up on Cleland Mtn behind me?
> From my (rather limited) understanding of this; American Goldfinches are nomadic in their feeding and flocking behaviors, tending to flock wherever there are readily available food sources. They will thin out as the season for their breeding draws closer; typically closer to the middle or end of summer, depending on when your area's thistle goes to seed. Hope this helps some. And of course, if I am incorrect, I will stand corrected.
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> Lisa Walker, Fort Bragg-Cleone
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