I had my first-of-fall American Goldfinch in the backyard last weekend. It was so good to see one of my favorite birds! I’m hoping that these cold fronts bring a few more of his friends. If you have a goldfinch feeder with some fresh nyger seed, now’s a good time to put it out!

The Painted Buntings have been back for around 6 weeks now. The yard is alive with birds these days – the buntings, Tufted Titmice, warblers (Palm, Pine, Prairie, Orange-crowned, Yellow-throated, and Yellow-rumped), Gray Catbirds, Blue Jays, Cardinals, House Finches, Mourning Doves, Common Ground-Doves, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Plus at least two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds! Despite the icky rain lately, I love this time of year.

I put out the millet for the Painted Buntings in a cage feeder. It keeps the “piggies” (doves, pigeons, etc.) away from the seed, and gives the buntings shelter while they dine.

One of the most frequent questions I get on my site is “doesn’t that cage bother the birds?” It really doesn’t. To give you a bird’s-eye video, I put one of my birdcams inside the cage. You can see how easily the birds come and go. It does not, however, prevent the birds from squabbling over the seed!

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A post shared by Jess Yarnell (@catandturtle_photography)

Hopefully the wet weather ends soon so I can get back out with the camera!