Goldfinches
A flock of goldfinches has recently appeared in my yard. According to the Wikipedia article on the American Goldfinch, meadows and fields, such as surround my house, are their preferred habitat. Apparently they love thistle seeds, and I've frequently seen them out by the pole barn where there is a healthy stand of thistle plants.
I have also been hearing loud squeaking noises from something roosting in the maple tree outside my bedroom window for the past few nights. I wonder if the goldfinches have a nest there. The Wikipedia article indicates that the Goldfinch does make two calls when nesting: "a sweeet call made to rally other goldfinches to the nest and distract the predator, and a bearbee used to signal to the nestlings to quiet them and get them to crouch down in the nest…" I'll have to try peering into the tree this evening to see if I can see a nest there.
I have also been hearing loud squeaking noises from something roosting in the maple tree outside my bedroom window for the past few nights. I wonder if the goldfinches have a nest there. The Wikipedia article indicates that the Goldfinch does make two calls when nesting: "a sweeet call made to rally other goldfinches to the nest and distract the predator, and a bearbee used to signal to the nestlings to quiet them and get them to crouch down in the nest…" I'll have to try peering into the tree this evening to see if I can see a nest there.