Leviticus Plews

Haven't seen one in California (seen plenty on the East Coast) but I did see a Lazuli Bunting, at Pt. Reyes (about an hour north of San Francisco). Lazuli Bunting is an absolutely gorgeous bird. By the way, in the list of Buntings in the Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunting_(bird) , neither Indigo nor Lazuli Bunting is listed. Anyone know why?

That's like asking how can I attract cockroaches to my kitchen.

I used to get Northern Flickers at my feeder regularly but haven't seen one in years. However I do get Red-bellied woodpeckers regularly and they are somewhat similar, in particular, long beaks. Some of my feeders are enclosed in cages that only small birds can enter. These are definitely squirrel-proof, but the Red-belly can get to it, because of it's long beak. I'll bet the Flicker can get to it as well. Worth a try. These feeders enclosed in cages are available pretty much anywhere that sells feeders.

Yeah, my wife swears she doesn't hear it. And whenever I mention it (which is everytime I hear a Goldfinch) she asks me, well what did they say before potato chips were invented? Funny gal! The point is, of course they don't say "potato chip", but the four note call is expressed in the same rhythm with accent on the second syllable "ta". If you listen to it that way, soon you'll swear you're hearing "Potato chip".

You mean you don't hear the Goldfinch say "Potato Chip"?

Ha! I love the phrase for the Olive-sided, though I thought it was "quick! Free Beer". As for the white-throated Sparrow: In the U.S. we refer to the song as "Sweeeet .... Peabody, Peabody, Peabody". In Canada it's "Sweeet .... Canada, Canada, Canada".

Yes, the guideline I read (years ago): Extra sugar when they need extra energy (early Spring and Fall); extra water in very hot weather.

Try this experiment: Boil water, measure, let it cool, measure again. Might not measure as much the second time. Just sayin'.

I don't, because usually some of the water evaporates and it then loses the proper ratio. I find that sugar dissolves in water (room temperature) pretty fast, simply by vigorously shaking the jar.

"American" and "America" both have three syllables. "Canadian" has four syllables, one more than "Canada". So while the adjective is better than the noun (for a descriptive word), "easier to say" trumps that rule. (When I saw the subject line I thought it was about the White-throated Sparrow.)