Backyard Birdwatch: Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)

As reported yesterday, our backyard tube feeder of Nyjer thistle seed is beginning to see a little more activity! With the increased possibility of something different showing up, Anne and I find ouselves frequently checking outside the kitchen window to see just what is dropping by the feeder to snack. Although there is still the occassional North American Gray Squirrel, I have been surpised to see an increasing number of colorful song birds, many of which I have not observed cavorting in the yard prior to the feeder. Just last afternoon, Anne noticed a "purplish" bird snacking at the thistle.

After Anne called me to the kitchen, from the living room in the front of the house, we both began looking through the Birds of New York Field Guide by Stan Teliela and determined that our new visitor was a male Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus). If you look carefully at the image to the right, on the lower left of the tube, is a smallish bird with a raspberry red head, cap, back and breast, a well as, brownish wings. While the digital image is not completely clear, the illustration to the right is a more defined representation of what we saw.

The excitement continues to build as the opportunities to see some different varieties of bird popping up in the backyard increase!