Is that not an adorable face?!Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #24 at Birdfreak.com.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Purple Finch--Wordless Wednesday
...except that I do have to say a word...or two. This is a female purple finch. I fell in love with her, especially because I first thought she was a pine siskin and she is another life bird for me.
Is that not an adorable face?!
Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #24 at Birdfreak.com.
Is that not an adorable face?!Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #24 at Birdfreak.com.
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Ocean Trail at Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, California--2015
Bird-banding at Seven Islands State Birding Park--2014
Photo courtesy of Jody Stone
Bird-banding at Seven Islands
Photo courtesy of Karen Wilkenson
Enjoying Gray Jays in Churchill!--2014
Photo courtesy of Blue Sky Expeditions
Smithsonian National Zoo with one of my Whooping Crane banners and son, John--2014
The Incredible Muir Woods near Stinson Beach, CA--2014
Photo courtesy of Wendy Pitts Reeves
Me and Denali--2012
Photo courtesy of Bob King
Your Uncapped Creativity...
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action; and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. You must keep that channel open. It is not for you to determine how good it is, nor how valuable. Nor how it compares with other expressions. It is for you to keep it yours, clearly and directly." ----the great dancer, Martha Graham
I love her bill...a true nut munching bill!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! We're covered up with Pine Siskins this year and now you've got me wondering if I've possibly got a purple finch hiding in the mix. I've never seen one either, as far as I know. So here's a newbie question (ok, two): What is the main characteristic that sets the two apart? What should i look for?
ReplyDeleteOh my, Mark. I'm not the right person to ask. But, what caught my eye and caused me to pick up my Peterson's field guide, was the facial markings and beak shape. You don't see a facial pattern in the pine siskin or house finch.
ReplyDeleteThe dark eye stripe stood out for me. It's also referred to as a white stripe above the eye. She's slightly larger than a pine siskin, too...but they sure blend together when in a group.
I think I found one! Thanks for the advice. Once you look for them, the facial markings are definitely different. I couldn't get close enough to get as good of a picture as you did, but I'm pretty sure this is the right bird!
ReplyDeleteI really need one of those Peterson Guides.
Yes - she does have an adorable face! I think those purple finches are so friendly looking! YOurs looks like she has a smile on her face!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the photo link, Mark. Its contagious isn't it?! You know you've selected the hardest birds to ID, don't you? The brown ones!
ReplyDeleteThe bird in your photo is a sparrow. I'm out on a limb here calling it a song sparrow because I'm not practiced with sparrow IDs, but here is an info link with photo: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Song_Sparrow.html
Also here's a great page showing comparisons of purple finch with other finches. Scroll down to see the females. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/finchIDtable.html
When you get a chance, pick up a Peterson's Field Guide, East or West, depending on where you are located. The sparrows and finches will be grouped (separately) so you can compare. And there are arrows that point to the best ID markings or field marks.
Trying the links again:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/
AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/
Song_Sparrow.html
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/
AboutBirdsandFeeding/
finchIDtable.html
Hi Dawn! You can see how strong the bills look in the photo.
ReplyDeleteHey, Shelly. I think there's something captivating about their faces.
No need words to appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteLook almost similar to my Passer Montanus here
Ok, I'm with you on the Sparrow ID. I'm very new to this but it is very addictive. Now I'm more determined than ever to figure out how to tell all these little brown birds apart! Thanks again for all your help.
ReplyDeleteYour female purple finch does have an adorable face! I don't know if we get purple finches here in Tucson. They look so similar to house finches. I've been studying that Cornell Tricky ID comparison page just in case.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly a sweet face. I like the female Purple Finches better than the males. Shhhh.
ReplyDelete