I looked at this one for long time. In the Summer, American Goldfinches are obvious, especially males. But as winter comes, they molt and the bright colors of Summer fade into pale yellows and browns. As I see it, there isn't a lot of difference between it and a Lesser Goldfinch during this season.
I've seen more obvious American Goldfinches at Fernhill Wetlands regularly this fall. Just last week I saw some that seemed to me to be obvious. But this one is brighter yellow than those I've seen. Even so, since I don't see any white spot at the base of its primaries, I'm going to tilt the scales towards an American. If anyone disagrees, I'd love to hear why.
I have been reading that the migrating Warblers are beginning to pass through, however lately I have been going out of town birding either to the coast or Mount Hood. So, with the forecast of rain coming up for the weekend, I thought I'd take a walk through TRNWR over lunch last Wednesday to see if there were any there. No such luck, but I did see a flock of Cedar Waxwings, a Great Egret, some Savannah Sparrows and some American Goldfinches dining in a thistle patch.The female American Goldfinch in the images above appears to either be molting or has had a rough Summer. :-)
What with travel, schedule and weather I hadn't been to TRNWR since July 13. It's been too warm for lunch time walks and when I have a block of time on the weekend, I typically go to Fernhill or Jackson Bottom as both still have a fair amount of water making birding more productive.Today I had some time in the afternoon, so I decided it would be a good day to see what was happening a TRNWR, since I didn't want to make the long drive out to Hillsboro.All-in-all it was pretty slow as I expected, but I get to watch an Osprey eating a fish atop a utility pole and this American Goldfinch feasting on one of its favorite seed.
American Goldfinches and House Finches are common visitors to the bird feeders at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve.
Another cloudy day, but at least its not raining. One good thing about the clouds is that I don't have to worry about what direction the sun is coming from when I shoot.I hung out for awhile at the pond near the bird blind today and saw an unusually high variety of birds in a short period of time. It's been a good place to take pictures, but I usually only get a single good opportunity.This female American Goldfinch landed off to the side of where I was standing and was the bird that was the closest to me during that period. Goldfinches in general are not easy to shoot as they are flighty, small and don't let you get close. While I've seen many this spring, I haven't had many chances to get a close shot.
I looked at this one for long time. In the Summer, American Goldfinches are obvious, especially males. But as winter comes, they molt and the bright colors of Summer fade into pale yellows and browns. As I see it, there isn't a lot of difference between it and a Lesser Goldfinch during this season. 
