Macro Monday --- Moulting Goldfinches

I've been a baaaad blogger lately, especially over here with my favorite photographers. Cardmaking has taken up a lot of my time during the winter months, so Made For Keeps has gotten more attention. I even did a post on The Family Branson last weekend.

Now that spring is here my photo mojo is reawakening. We don't have leaves on the trees yet but many of the flowering trees have displayed their short-lived glory.

I love the Bradford Pear trees and Branson seems to have the largest stand of Bradfords anywhere! Now the redbuds are, well, red! Actually, they look more purple to me, but I'm not going to get hung up on semantics when the tree is so pretty.

But I have to say that the dogwoods are my favorites. They are loners, sprouting up in forested areas and roadsides one tree at a time. Then, before the oaks and black walnuts are covered with leaves, the dogwoods' delicate pink flowers draw attention. An angelic figure in the winter-bare woods, one will actually glow in the moonlight.

Then there are the birds of spring! It's like family coming home when I see the robins and red-winged blackbirds, indigo buntings and hummingbirds at their feeders. Even though the goldfinches are here during the winter, the males are in their plain brown feathers, looking like the females. But now they are moulting, revealing once again the bright yellow feathers that make them look like sun beams darting through the trees. Here are some photos of their transformation. I could never get this close to them, so I used my 400mm zoom from the deck.

It's Macro Monday over at Lisa's Chaos, though I am a bit late. Hopefully, I will be back more often with new and improved photos! Thanks for stopping by! For really awesome macros jog over to Lisa's place and check out the photos from others from all around the world --- add your own, too!