American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) enjoying seeds of a Katsura Tree*, Belmont Park, Kelowna, BC.
This youngster (non-breeding plumage) had food all over his/her bill, so I cleaned it up a bit in shots 01 and 03. As the bokeh was rather cluttered, 03 attempts to improve that somewhat by closer cropping….
*There is a sign below the tree that identifies it as a Katsura. Here a bit of what Wikipedia says about this species:
Cercidiphyllum japonicum, known as the katsura (from its Japanese name カツラ, 桂), is a species of flowering tree in the family Cercidiphyllaceae native to China and Japan….
The leaves turn a variety of pinks and yellows in autumn and sometimes have a distinctive caramel scent when in fresh autumn colors.
The flowers are inconspicuous and produced in early spring among the opening leaves, with male and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious). The fruit is a cluster of two to four follicles 1–1.8 cm long and 2–3 mm wide with each follicle containing several winged seeds.
The species is listed as endangered in China, but overall when Japanese populations are included C. japonicum is classified as being lower risk.
Katsura is a popular ornamental tree in Japan as well as elsewhere. In Japan, it is also grown for its timber, which is used for construction and woodworking….
