[SBB] European Gldfinches @ Lk. Cunningham

At noon I was birding along the north end of Lake Cunningham Park at the west end of the willows where the tules begin and I saw the bright yellow flash of several birds accompanied by a group of White Crowned Sparrows. When I got the binos on them I could not belive my eyes. There were at least 3 of these birds (and possibly more ) with black, white, red and yellow markings. A quick look at my guide showed them to clearly be EUROPEAN GOLDFINCHES. After a time the whole group of birds dropped down into the tules and disappeared. I could not find them again and moved on after 90 minutes or so. I realize that they must be escapees but I have fiound references that say that they are occaisionally seen in the wild and that small populations may exist in New York and New Jersey..

I have a small tape recorder that I carry in order to take notes which I did while observing. When I play my recordings back I hear the excited bltherings of some old guy. What a kick in the pants!