This is one truely enigmatic bird. Firstly, it inhabits very arid, dry regions, infact favoring dry areas for nesting, so long as there is a standing source of water. That said, there is no means of knowing where this bird will show up. It is known as an "eratic". Flocks of them (usually number no more than say 10 pairs, or solitary) may appear in a location for perhaps one or two season and then vanish, not to return. This makes this a very difficult bird to study, in fact there were very few sources to draw upon, and many of these are dated. The bird was given it's name (1850), by John Cassin, as a dedication to a New York business man, George Lawrence, who was also an ornithologis. A granivorous bird, Lawrence's goldfich is partial to native species of seed plants.
It is also a bird that will mimic other birds, and has complicated, and varied vocalizations. Though it has no loyalty to any given nesting location, it has had a tendency to nest in the Kern River area. This individual (pictured) was a transient that made a stop to get some water. The camera was trained out of the kitchen window for capturing yard birds when this male landed on a perch set near a water source. It is the one and only oportunity it gave me: lucky.