And the winners for "Most Cheerful" are....

Mr. and Mrs. Goldie!!!

Male American Goldfinch (left) and female (right)

Their prize is all the sunflower seeds they can eat!

Lest you think this is only a beauty pageant,  let me tell you more about how these birds won "Most Cheerful" in this scholarship program.  Obviously, the most points in the cheerfulness category are for personality. 

The Goldfinches possess numerous qualifications to win this.  As singers they are quite merry, whether they are perched or flying.  Seeing our goldfinches flying along... rising and dipping thru the air while they sing "per-chic-o-ree" with each dip-- is a real lift to my spirit anytime I watch them.   You can listen to goldfinches singing here.

Another quality the judge admires is their contentment.  The Goldies don't mind our harsh winter.  They don't migrate south when the going gets tough.

January 17th - two Goldfinches and a House Finch

Flock of goldfinches on February 13th

They don't mind being part of a large flock and sharing the seeds!  This is a mixed flock of males and females.  The male only has his bright yellow color in the spring and summer (they molt twice a year in spring and fall).

Another personality trait which probably helps with their cheerfulness is that they just do things on their own timetable.  While the rest of the birds are frantically building their nests and raising their young in early spring....

Baltimore Orioles and nest

Baby Oriole learning that grape jelly is Mmmm, mmmmm good!

House Wren with food for the babies inside the box.

While the woodpeckers were trying to show their big babies how to eat suet...

Baby on the left, Mama on the right

...the Goldie family was just enjoying themselves and waiting for the right time to start their family.  They waited until they knew there was soft thistle down to line the nest, as well as that there would be plenty of ripe seeds to feed the babies when they were born.

July 10th, female Goldfinch on Canada Thistle, collecting nest material

Sorry for the fence in front of her! I waited in a better spot to try for more photos but she didn't come back.

Off she goes!  I've been looking for their nest but haven't found it so far.

Of course, no one is perfect, and the judge must say that Mrs. Goldie might be an over-achieving nest builder since she has read that the nest is built so tightly by Mama Goldie that it can actually hold water!

One of the qualities that God gave these lovely birds is how they help each other out as parents.  The male helps his mate find a great spot for their home.  He lets the female build the nest by herself (as a perfectionist she probably prefers it that way!).  But then as she sits on the eggs to incubate them, he serves her all her meals and also brings all the food for her and their babies for the first few days of their lives!  

"Birds at Home" by Marguerite Henry (left) and "A Field Guide to Birds' Nests (right)

If you would like to learn more about the "Most Cheerful" winners, you can read a great 'biography' of them by clicking here. 

Now for your pleasure here are a few more photos.

Male Goldfinch

Female Goldfinch

Do you agree with this judge with my pick for "Most Cheerful"?