Return of summer colors

Return of summer colors
Originally uploaded by ChathamGardens

In addition to the annual migrations, there is a sign of spring that involves the birds that have wintered here at Chatham Gardens and elsewhere in the northeast and it is not unlike our own desire to change what we wear from heavy wools to lighter cottons. With our feathered friends, it involves changing their winter colors to their summer colors; a sure sign that mating is not that far away.

Here are three male American Goldfinches that are well on their way to the bright, vibrant yellow for which they are so well known. The feathers of the fellow looking at the camera are in various stages of change; you can see the drabber olive green on his back and and shoulders, while his two friends have already mostly converted to the bright yellow of summer.