At all times of the day, you will find finches at my window.
House finches and goldfinches come all throughout the day to say hello.
I’ve learned that taking some minutes every day to be present with the finches, not take them for granted, really helps lift my spirits.
The goldfinches’ strong yellow bellies, with their black speckled wings.
The house finches – the females with their beautiful brown bellies, the males with their vibrant red undersides.
Their eyes the size of a pencil tip.
The way they cock their heads from side to side when other birds fly by.
Their heads, as tiny as a marble, fits completely inside the hole of the feeder when the food is low.
They arrive in groups of 8, fighting over the spots on the feeder, they grab onto the pole with their tiny legs, dangling above the one feeding below and eventually flapping their wings to take the others’ place and begin feeding themselves.
They take 3 seeds out, and only eat one.
Did you know that finches are monogamous? The same couples come together. The male looking out for the female, feeding her when necessary.
Shaking their head from side to side, even scratching their heads with their feet.
If they got something on their beak, they grab onto a metal pole from the balcony and scratch their beaks up against it.
If a drop falls on them, they furiously but quickly fluff their feathers and shake it out.
And when they’re cold, they puff up their bellies and tuck one foot into their chest to keep warm.
Agile, intelligent, the finches feed all day, flying high and synchronized.
You hear them from a distance, communicating to each other while they fly, deciding which ways to go and when to land.
Questions for the Finches
Why do you circle the skies in large groups? Are you all family? Are you friends? Cousins? Neighbors?
How do you know when to separate from the group? Who is the leader of the group? Does it get decided on a whim or is it a designated leader?
Do you know who is older than who? Do you know who your siblings are? Do groups of siblings always stay together?
How do they choose your partner over any other finch?
How do you find feeders? Can you see them from high up in the sky? Does one of you come to check it out and then communicate it to the rest?
How do you communicate? How do you learn what each sound means? How do you learn to make each chirp?
How big is your brain? How big is your heart? How big is your stomach?
Do your feet ever get hurt from landing on a spiky branch? How do you cure your cuts? Does your partner help you?
Do you fly in circles to keep warm? Are you looking for anything? Is it for exercise?
How do you see us humans? Do we look scary? Is it true that you recognize who it is that puts the feed out for you?
Where do you go during the day? Do you hang out in different trees? Do you stay flying for hours?
How do you know how to come back to your home tree? How do you remember it? Is it by smell? Can you tell because of what’s around it? Can you recognize it by the trees and buildings around it?
Does it confuse you directionally when a new building is built? What about when a tree is cut down?
Do you experience heartbreak? Do you experience a loving attachment to your partner? To your kids? To your siblings?
I love the way you fly – the way you bounce gracefully in the sky. You seem really happy – are you happy? Do you love your life?
Thank you for visiting me everyday. Thank you for being a source of light and happiness.
May we all glide through life full of glee and delight just like our finch friends do ♡
As always, sending you lots of love.
Until next time,
Cristina Marie
