Three finches at Hurdman
February 2nd, 2009
At the Hurdman feeders this morning, three closely-related species of finches: one common, one a winter specialty, and one I'd never seen before.
Among the winteriest of winter birds, Common Redpolls breed in the subarctic, and wander south only when food gets scarce. Some winters Ottawa is teeming with them; others, we scarcely see a one.
Left: American Goldfinch, Right: Pine Siskin
After several years and nearly two hundred species, new additions to my lifelist (especially in Ottawa, at my usual haunts) have become a rare occurrence. So it often takes me awhile to hoist it in when I get one, even when the identity should be clear as day. So it was with the Pine Siskin. "Hmm. A female House Finch with yellow bits? A redpoll without any red? A goldfinch...wait a minute."
In the first picture above you can see one of the clinchers for Pine Siskin: the yellow markings in the wing. Another field mark, the very sharp, narrow beak (for a finch), shows well in the second photo. These, the goldfinches and the redpolls are all close relatives and often flock together at feeders.
February 2nd, 2009
At the Hurdman feeders this morning, three closely-related species of finches: one common, one a winter specialty, and one I'd never seen before.
Among the winteriest of winter birds, Common Redpolls breed in the subarctic, and wander south only when food gets scarce. Some winters Ottawa is teeming with them; others, we scarcely see a one.
Left: American Goldfinch, Right: Pine Siskin
After several years and nearly two hundred species, new additions to my lifelist (especially in Ottawa, at my usual haunts) have become a rare occurrence. So it often takes me awhile to hoist it in when I get one, even when the identity should be clear as day. So it was with the Pine Siskin. "Hmm. A female House Finch with yellow bits? A redpoll without any red? A goldfinch...wait a minute."
In the first picture above you can see one of the clinchers for Pine Siskin: the yellow markings in the wing. Another field mark, the very sharp, narrow beak (for a finch), shows well in the second photo. These, the goldfinches and the redpolls are all close relatives and often flock together at feeders.
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