Here in the southwest, during the summer, you're most likely to see the smallest member of the goldfinch family, the lesser goldfinch. The male is bright yellow and has either a black or green back. The female is a duller yellow but is still beautiful. Contrary to popular belief, these birds are easy to attract to your backyard, if you offer the right food in the right way.

Lesser Goldfinches prefer Nyger seed. Grown in Southeast Asia, Nyger is commonly called thistle ... but it's not. The domestic weed known as thistle is not harvested for seed. So, whether you call it nyger or thistle, it's what your goldfinches want.

Some people attract these beautiful birds quickly, but some of you might need to jump through a few hoops first. Don't be discouraged, even if you've never seen a lesser goldfinch in your backyard, now is a great time to try. Here's how:

• Use a feeder specially designed for nyger. Don't fill your usual seed feeder with nyger/thistle. It's expensive and your regular backyard birds will eat it all. The shy lesser goldfinches aren't likely to "elbow" their way in to a busy general bird feeder, even one serving thistle. The type of thistle feeder that I use and recommend in our store is a mesh style feeder. Mesh thistle feeders have no perches and are often called thistle socks but also come in durable stainless steel. Goldfinches cling easily, but by using a mesh feeder you can discourage other birds from taking over. If you've ever seen a goldfinch cling to the top of a branching sunflower on a windy day, you'll know that hanging on to a thistle feeder is a piece of cake.

• Hang your feeder out in the open. Birds find food by sight, so don't hide your thistle feeder under a tree or awning. If goldfinches don't find your feeder after a couple of weeks, try another spot.

• Goldfinches like fresh seed. Nyger has a thin shell and can spoil or dry out easily in our summer heat. Buy your thistle from a store that sells a lot of it so you know it's fresh. If you've had extra thistle around the house for more than a few months, throw it away. Keep your extra thistle fresh longer by storing it in a cool, dark place.

• Because lesser goldfinches can be shy, hang your feeder away from other very busy feeders. Usually eight feet or so is enough.

• Hang your feeder near a window where you can easily see it; despite being shy, goldfinches don't seem to mind.

• Hang your thistle feeder near a birdbath. Lesser goldfinches love having their water near their bird feeder.

• If you have branching sunflower or purple coneflower growing in your yard, you might see goldfinches harvesting their mature seeds this time of year.

Lesser goldfinches are late nesters, so look for baby goldfinches at your feeder right now.

Lesser goldfinches are year-round residents in the southern half of the state. But in the Santa Fe area you'll see them only from April until mid-October or so. Come winter, Pine Siskins will be happy to have your thistle feeder all to themselves. More about Siskins another day.

Anne Schmauss is the co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Santa Fe and the co-author of the 2008 book For the Birds: A Month by Month Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard. She is also a regular contributor to Birder's World magazine and can be heard every Sunday morning at 10:38 on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday on KUNM 89.9.