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GreenWatch: The Goldfinch and the Dragonfly

by / Aug. 16, 2015 6am EST

This week’s Sunday morning video features the American goldfinch, which is a late season nesting bird. While many birds have raised their broods, in mid to late July the female goldfinch gathers the silky down from thistle plants to use in nest-building. In this video we witness this activity and observe the male goldfinch, with its brilliant gold and black colors, as it picks at thistle plants and gathers and eats thistle seeds. The male may eat the seeds or bring them to the fledglings that appear in early to mid August. The beautiful and songful American goldfinches are abundant in Western New York and on Buffalo’s waterfront. In this video we also observe a dragonfly from the meadowhawk family—a percher who is alert to any food source that may come its way. This video shows a female, but we are not sure of which species.

All images shot at Times Beach Nature Preserve located on Lake Erie and in downtown Buffalo, New York during July and August 2015. Brought to you by GreenWatch and Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve.

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