Goldfinches!

We have a LOT of American goldfinches at the shed this year.  I've never had the opportunity to see so many, so close, and it's interested to see them in mid-moult, from winter colors toward spring. 

In a month or so, this little guy will be bright yellow in the places he now shows an olive-y brown, and he'll wear a jaunty black cap that's just now coming in, a few feathers at a time.

They're amazingly bold little birds, taking over the feeders and refusing to give ground, fussing among themselves, and staying put when I go in and out.  Very much UNlike the chickadees, which seem to travel mostly alone, and do a quick snatch-and-run!