Atlanta Audubon Society's Bird Fest 2017 continues through May 14th! Bird walks, workshops and special events will take place in the Atlanta and North Georgia areas. Visit the Bird Fest page for details and registration.
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AAS also hosts several free local field trips during spring migration led by our area's best birders. If you want to see some beautiful warblers (like this Chestnut-sided Warbler in the above photo by Luke Theodorou), tanagers, orioles, vireos and more, check them out!
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Photo by Stephen Bosshardt
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Spring is not as busy as late summer at our hummingbird feeders, but we are seeing a few males and females now. Make sure to change your nectar twice weekly!
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Spring has sprung and our yards are covered up in flocks of brilliantly colored birds - especially American Goldfinches! Goldfinches are here year round, but spring is the peak season when numbers swell as many are moving north. They really stand out as they have molted into their bright yellow breeding plumage.
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The best way to attract lots of goldfinches is to have their favorite foods available. They are strict vegetarians and eat a variety of seeds, but they really love Sunflower Meats, or shelled sunflower seed. Sun meats are extremely nutritious - and they can really eat a ton of the stuff this time of year!
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American Goldfinch (male)
- photo by Giff Beaton
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Goldfinches will also eat Niger (or Nyjer) seed. Niger is usually offered in special feeders with tiny holes that only Goldfinches and a few other small birds will use, giving flocks a safe spot to feed away from more aggressive, larger birds. We also carry Finch Friends, a mixture of sunflower meats, niger seed and canary seed to use in any type feeder.
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We do have smaller numbers of goldfinches in the summer. Weedy fields, power line cuts, orchards and other rural areas are their preferred nesting habitats. They are late nesters, waiting until June or July when thistle and milkweeds are blooming. They line their nests with the down and feed the seeds to their young.
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Purple Coneflowers, Zinnias and Black-eyed Susans are great food sources also - photo by Dan Vickers
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