{"id":70283,"date":"2020-05-28T05:28:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T11:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=70283"},"modified":"2024-05-21T09:54:44","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T14:54:44","slug":"hearing-thousands-of-american-goldfinches-flying-overhead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/05\/28\/hearing-thousands-of-american-goldfinches-flying-overhead\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing Thousands Of American Goldfinches Flying Overhead"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FemaleFemale American Goldfinch in the Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday while I was up in the Wasatch Mountains photographing birds I heard something I had never heard before and I wanted to share that experience here this morning.<\/p>\n

I was in a canyon in the mountains where there was only a light breeze and I could easily hear the bird songs around me. I was taking photos of a Willow Flycatcher, a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird, various bees pollinating wildflowers, and Yellow Warblers that were flying in and out of the willows below me. I also watched a male Western Tanager hawking insects from the tops of some willows but couldn’t photograph him because he was too far behind me and I was using a vehicle as a mobile blind which restricted my movements.<\/p>\n

What amazed me was that I heard flocks of American Goldfinches flying overhead for minutes at a time. The calls<\/span><\/a> would slow down for a minute or so and then start back up again. I’d say I listened to the finches flying overhead for at least 25 minutes and when I thought about the sheer number of American Goldfinches on the move I was definitely astounded.<\/p>\n

I photographed this female American Goldfinch yesterday as I listened to all of her kin heading north.<\/p>\n

There were times when I could see the flocks of goldfinches above the mountain tops flying in a northerly direction and other times that I could hear them but couldn’t see them. Those finches were most likely flying behind me over the mountain tops to the east and because of the roof of the vehicle I was in I could not see them.<\/p>\n

American Goldfinches are year round residents here in northern Utah so I wondered if the American Goldfinches I heard yesterday flying over my head and the tops of the mountains were birds that spend their winter in the far south and were migrating to places much farther north.<\/p>\n

I have never heard so many American Goldfinches flying overhead for such a long period of time and I was in awe. I still am.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good. Stay safe.<\/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 have never heard so many American Goldfinches flying overhead for such a long period of time and I was in awe. I still am.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":128972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[2715,27,4594,26,773],"tags":[4004,2716,4897,4053,4073,2304,3940,4070,3504,3495,4245,4122,5370,6198,6199,3946,4069,9977,4104,2717,165],"class_list":["post-70283","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-adult","tag-american-goldfinch","tag-branch","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-breeding-season","tag-calls","tag-canyon","tag-female","tag-finch","tag-finches","tag-flocks","tag-flying","tag-forest","tag-goldfinch","tag-goldfinches","tag-migrating","tag-mountains","tag-overhead","tag-perched","tag-spinus-tristis","tag-spring"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/american-goldfinch-female-perched-mia-mcpherson-4476.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ihB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":103606,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/06\/24\/male-american-goldfinch-perched-above-a-creek\/","url_meta":{"origin":70283,"position":0},"title":"Male American Goldfinch Perched Above A Creek","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I am keeping my post short and simple with a male American Goldfinch in his breeding plumage perched high above a Wasatch Mountain creek.","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":"Male American Goldfinch and a bright blue sky, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/american-goldfinch-male-and-blue-sky-mia-mcpherson-9856.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/american-goldfinch-male-and-blue-sky-mia-mcpherson-9856.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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McPherson","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Right after I photographed a juvenile Lazuli Bunting two days ago a female American Goldfinch landed in a patch of thistles in front of me.","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 female perching on a thistle, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/american-goldfinch-female-thistles-mia-mcpherson-6770.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/american-goldfinch-female-thistles-mia-mcpherson-6770.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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