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| European Goldfinch by Christian Goers |
(published 8-28-18)
On a sunny July morning, I woke up extra early with a bird
on my mind. No surprise there. But this bird was different. I’d seen it before
but never in the United States. It was time to do something about that.
The plan was to meet Al Stokie, the most avid birder I know,
who’d generously agreed to help me find a European goldfinch. He knew of two
places in Lake County where the species regularly occurs.
European goldfinch is a non-native “introduced” species, and
not officially countable for birders who spot one in North America. (At least
not yet; more on that later.) I’d admired this red-faced beauty before during a
trip to Ireland in 1996. It’s a common bird throughout the U.K. and European
mainland—a must-see species for any visiting birder.
How and when European goldfinch arrived in Chicagoland isn’t
exactly known but they’ve been nesting here since at least 2003. Most likely a
colony developed after some imported birds escaped from their cages or were
released. Our local monk parakeets share a similar provenance.
A close relative of our bright yellow American goldfinch, European
goldfinch is not widespread in the region. But the species is certainly
breeding in Lake County and its population is growing. It is not considered
invasive or a threat to ecosystems. In that regard, Euro goldfinch differs from
non-native bad guys like house sparrow and European starling.
Plus, this is one fine looking bird. Countable or not, I
wanted to see a European goldfinch on American soil.
I met Al at Waukegan Beach, one of his usual haunts. Sure
enough, within two minutes, several adult European goldfinches were in plain
view. The birds flew around as group and kept returning to the utility wires
above the parking area, making it easy to observe their red faces, whitish
bills and large yellow wing patches. Al pointed to some trees in the adjacent
park where the birds apparently nest.
Among birders, Waukegan Beach is best known for gulls,
waterfowl and shorebirds. Al and his friend Bob showed me a staked-out piping
plover, also viewable from the parking lot, and then a small colony of nesting
common terns in a protected area along the beach. Both are hard-to-find, state-endangered
species.
Out next stop was the south unit of Illinois Beach State
Park, where we quickly located a few Euro goldfinches in the pines outside the
resort and conference center. Al and Bob moved on from there, in search of
other avian quarry, leaving me to work on getting a good photo.
My limited camera skills combined with skittish goldfinches
were getting me nowhere when a couple on bicycles pulled up. Steve and Mary
were birders and recognized one of their kind. I told them what I was up to and
they gushed about the European goldfinches that visit their Pleasant Prairie
(Wis.) backyard.
Steve suggested that I visit The Bird Nest, a store in
Kenosha. Euro goldfinches flock to the feeders behind the store, he said, where
a nice viewing area is set up for onlookers.
How could I resist? I pointed the Jetta north and crossed
into America’s Dairyland. The Bird Nest was easy to find, just off I-94 next to
a massive Woodman’s. The shop’s manager, Brian Nett, invited me to head out
back and enjoy the show.
Right away I knew this would be an entertaining hour or two.
About 15 kinds of birds were coming and going to all manner of feeders,
including the species that brought me there. For close views of European
goldfinch, this place is a lock.
Brian told me the finches arrived about seven years ago, and
that their numbers are growing. The store’s feeding stations typically host six
to 10 birds at a time in the summer and up to three dozen in winter. These are
hardy, non-migratory birds. Safflower is their seed of choice.
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| Juvenile European Goldfinches eating safflower seeds at The Bird Nest in Kenosha, Wis. |
I hadn’t noticed any young birds at the two Illinois sites. At
The Bird Nest feeders, however, juveniles outnumbered the adults. Aside from
their yellow wing patches, they were nondescript and seemed less wary than the parent
birds. Or maybe they were just hungrier!
My time in Kenosha recalled a similar birding experience in
2013, at the Sugar Grove Nature Center near Bloomington. My target that day was
Eurasian tree sparrow, another non-native species that tweaked my curiosity.
I’d heard the bird frequented the nature center’s feeders and was not
disappointed.
The tree sparrow is officially countable in North America
because it’s been here since 1870. Despite a small geographic range—west-central
Illinois and Greater St. Louis—the bird’s population is obviously established
and self-sustaining. You can go see it like I did and add it to your life list.
Not so with European goldfinch. You can see it but not list
it. On this side of the Atlantic, the ornithologists who decide these matters have
been slow to confirm what everybody seems to know: European goldfinch is here
to stay.
A change in classification seems inevitable. Perhaps within
five or 10 years the species will become “official,” making the birds in Lake
County and southeast Wisconsin fair game for rule-abiding listers like me.
Meanwhile, I recommend a stop in Kenosha if you’re up that
way. Shop at The Bird Nest, watch the feeders, and maybe have breakfast or
lunch at the Perkins next door.
Here in DuPage, be alert for a surprise visitor. A lone European
goldfinch sampled a Wheaton backyard feeder in February 2016.
Copyright 2018 by Jeff Reiter. All rights reserved.