Our back yard was visited by a family of European goldfinches yesterday -- two adults and a juvenile. At least, I think that's what we had, judging from the behavior of the three; the one I take to be a juvenile did not have red on its head like the other two but did have a yellow patch on its wing.
One adult started eating at our finch sock while the other went to the bird bath and the juvenile sat on top of the shepherd's hook that holds the finch sock. Then a red-winged blackbird swooped through on its way to another feeder, and the two adults flew to the back of the yard. The juvenile stayed in place until I tried to take its photograph, whereupon it flew to where the other two were waiting, and the three flew away together. (Alas, I did not get a photo.)
European goldfinches are not native to the Western Hemisphere; apparently, a Chicago area pet dealer released some into the wild a few years ago. We have usually seen them only in the early part of spring, and up to now, only one or two at a time.
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