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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.
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12 comments:

  1. Dawn FineFebruary 11, 2009 at 11:04 AM

    I love her bill...a true nut munching bill!

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  2. emarkdFebruary 11, 2009 at 12:07 PM

    Great 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?

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  3. VickieFebruary 11, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    Oh 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.

    The 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.

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  4. emarkdFebruary 11, 2009 at 5:29 PM

    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!

    I really need one of those Peterson Guides.

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  5. ShelleyFebruary 11, 2009 at 8:14 PM

    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!

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  6. VickieFebruary 11, 2009 at 8:51 PM

    Thanks 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!

    The 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.

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  7. VickieFebruary 11, 2009 at 8:54 PM

    Trying the links again:

    http://www.birds.cornell.edu/
    AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/
    Song_Sparrow.html

    http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/
    AboutBirdsandFeeding/
    finchIDtable.html

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  8. VickieFebruary 11, 2009 at 9:26 PM

    Hi Dawn! You can see how strong the bills look in the photo.

    Hey, Shelly. I think there's something captivating about their faces.

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  9. RedzlanFebruary 11, 2009 at 11:39 PM

    No need words to appreciate it.
    Look almost similar to my Passer Montanus here

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  10. emarkdFebruary 12, 2009 at 12:20 AM

    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.

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  11. Diane AZFebruary 12, 2009 at 9:23 AM

    Your 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.

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  12. AnonymousFebruary 14, 2009 at 7:35 PM

    It is truly a sweet face. I like the female Purple Finches better than the males. Shhhh.

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