For the last week or so a goldfinch has attacked my bay window one or more times each day. I assume he’s a juvenile bird since his feathers aren’t the bright, rich, golden-yellow color of the other adult males and he has no mask. He likes to sit (or shall I say stage himself) on the Nyger feeder 15 feet away. He stares at the window for a few moments with an agitated gaze. Then he jumps off his perch and flies straight toward the window, stopping just before he crashes. He taps the window repeatedly with his beak and then flies back to his perch to start the entire process over again.
I tried taking photos of him in action, but even in burst mode he moves way too fast. Bear with me on the quality. You’ll see I have bird strike stickers in my window, but that doesn’t deter him. He must be seeing his reflection and he thinks it’s a competing male:
If I stand in the window and talk to him and wave frantically he’ll fly back to his perch on the feeder, but moments later he’s back tapping the window again. He never smacks into the window, he just pecks it several times in different places and then flies off to recharge. It is the goofiest thing to watch. I’ve even tried closing the shades, but that doesn’t slow him down either.
Our local public radio station features bird and wildlife shows regularly, and without fail someone always calls in to ask what can be done about a bird attacking their house or car windows or car mirrors. Cardinals and robins are mentioned most often. I’ve never heard anyone say they had a goldfinch attacking their windows.
Thankfully my bird is only going at it half-heartedly. Sometimes reflection-attacking birds can exhaust or injure themselves which makes them prime prey for a hawk or critter. My bird is more laid back. It’s as if he’s practicing Morse code on my window with many rest breaks in between. I’m not too worried about him.
1 comment
So interesting, Em. Maybe this little guy will soon “grow up” and stop his “attacks”. Must be fun watching him, though.
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