{"id":59340,"date":"2019-08-04T05:12:56","date_gmt":"2019-08-04T11:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=59340"},"modified":"2024-05-21T09:30:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T14:30:29","slug":"male-american-goldfinch-lifting-off-from-a-musk-thistle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/04\/male-american-goldfinch-lifting-off-from-a-musk-thistle\/","title":{"rendered":"Male American Goldfinch Lifting Off From A Musk Thistle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AmericanAmerican Goldfinch male lifting off – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a simple post today. After the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio yesterday that injured dozens and cost at least 29 people their lives I simply don’t have any more than that in me. My heart breaks for the families of the innocent victims that were gunned down as they start the process of grieving and as they try to deal with their horrendous losses.<\/p>\n

I was up in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> on the 1st of August when I spotted a male American Goldfinch on top of a Musk Thistle and I took a few images of him. I mentioned in a post on July 23rd<\/span> <\/a>that I hadn’t seen any of these finches feeding on the thistles so far this year because the thistles seem behind in development because of our cold, wet spring but I did see this finch and a few others late last week doing just that. I kept my focus on this male American Goldfinch and when he lifted off I was able to take a photo with his wings raised just as he started to take flight. By the next shot in the burst I was taking he was nearly out of the frame.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my American Goldfinch photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I kept my focus on this male American Goldfinch and when he lifted off I was able to take a photo with his wings raised just as he started to take flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":128953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2715,27,4594,26,773],"tags":[2716,6623,3504,3495,6198,6199,4282,4944,4062,6622,2717],"class_list":["post-59340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-goldfinches","category-avian","category-morgan-county","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-american-goldfinch","tag-carduus-nutans","tag-finch","tag-finches","tag-goldfinch","tag-goldfinches","tag-lift-off","tag-lifting-off","tag-male","tag-musk-thistle","tag-spinus-tristis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-male-lifting-off-mia-mcpherson-6268.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-fr6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53647,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/19\/female-and-male-american-goldfinches-lifting-off-from-musk-thistles\/","url_meta":{"origin":59340,"position":0},"title":"Female and Male American Goldfinches Lifting Off From Musk Thistles","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When the female American Goldfinch lifted off I liked the eye contact I had with her and how graceful she looked when she raised her wings, when I saw this image on my camera LCD I just had to smile.","rel":"","context":"In "American Goldfinches"","block_context":{"text":"American Goldfinches","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/finches-and-allies\/american-goldfinches\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female American Goldfinch lifting off, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, 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2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year I was able to take hundreds of photos of this male American Goldfinch in breeding plumage while he fed on the seeds of a Musk Thistle.","rel":"","context":"In "American Goldfinches"","block_context":{"text":"American Goldfinches","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/finches-and-allies\/american-goldfinches\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Goldfinch male in breeding plumage on a Musk Thistle, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-male-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-1981.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-male-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-1981.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Goldfinches"","block_context":{"text":"American Goldfinches","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/finches-and-allies\/american-goldfinches\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male American Goldfinch perched on a dried Musk Thistle blossom, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/american-goldfinch-male-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-6584.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/american-goldfinch-male-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-6584.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/american-goldfinch-male-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-6584.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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fluff, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-1860.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-1860.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-1860.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-1860.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59503,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/14\/molting-american-goldfinch-feasting-on-musk-thistle-seeds\/","url_meta":{"origin":59340,"position":4},"title":"Molting American Goldfinch Feasting On Musk Thistle Seeds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"One year ago today I went up into the Wasatch Mountains and for about three minutes I photographed a molting American Goldfinch feasting on Musk Thistle seeds.","rel":"","context":"In "American Goldfinches"","block_context":{"text":"American Goldfinches","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/finches-and-allies\/american-goldfinches\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Molting American Goldfinch perched on a Musk Thistle, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-molting-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-5115.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-molting-musk-thistle-mia-mcpherson-5115.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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