[birdky] BKY: Goldfinch and a Spider Web

This morning we were walking near a large patch of chicory and ragweed. A bunch of goldfinches were feeding on the seeds. I noticed that one of the finches was struggling.  It had its wing extended upward and seemed to be unable to fly.  As I approached the  bird I saw that it was caught in a spider web and could not free itself.  The bird even tried harder to get untangled as I got closer but to no avail. I reached down and pulled the bird from the web.  As I was doing so I noticed a large garden spider near the top of the web.  Was it wondering what happened to its breakfast or was it glad that the bird was out of its web? The bird flew out of my hand and appeared to be fine.
 
We have heard of spiders and praying mantis killing hummingbirds.  We wondered what would have happened if we had not been there as the goldfinch was really stuck to the web. An interesting experience while birding.
 
Pat  Bell
Louisville

Other related posts: