Earlier this spring we were at a friend’s house, and in their backyard they had a leg from a pair of lady’s nylon stockings filled with thistle seed and hung from a post. The thing was covered with (OK, three) goldfinches plucking the seeds that would stick out of the stocking. I thought that was so neat and intended to do it too.

Fast forward several months to last night in Meijers. We were doing some late night shopping when I noticed a big display of feeders and seed. We spent some time looking things over and were about to get a plastic goldfinch feeder and a bag of thistle. I had the feeder picked out and then I was looking over the seeds. I noticed a five pound jug of thistle with a free sock feeder stuffed inside. We put the plastic feeder back and got the seed and sock feeder combo instead.

At 10 PM last night was hanging it in the tree that is right in view of our family room window. I was thinking that maybe the birds would not find it because it was too late in the season (what season I do not know), or that it was too hidden, or not out in the open enough, or too close to the house, or maybe you need a certain kind of landscaping to initially draw the goldfinches to the area, etc. Also, how do goldfinches know that a white sock has thistle seed in it? The seeds don’t have any smell, and I never heard of birds having an acute sense of smell.

Anyway, at 6 PM today I saw a goldfinch hanging upside down on the sock eating away at the thistle seeds! Cool! I am going to make sure I keep it filled up all winter.

I read online that goldfinches molt for the winter and turn an olive-drab color, but come springtime they turn back to a bright bright yellow.

The plastic tube feeder we were initially looking at was called an upside-down feeder. The perches for the birds is above the hole were the seed comes out, so they hang upside down while they are feeding. Maybe that is how they normally get seeds from a thistle plant in the wild; hang on the flower upside down while they pluck seeds.

Oh, the five pound jug of seed (actually 4.9 pounds) was about nine or ten dollars and was made by a company called Kaytee. It does not actually say thistle seed on the label either. It says nyjer seed.