November 10, 2004 [LINK]

More winter birds arrive

Pine siskin For the past three days I've seen Purple finches at our feeder out back, and this morning I saw several Pine siskins at the thistle seed feeder right next to the window. (Hence the glare spots in the photo.) The yellow color in their wings (not visible in photos of Pine siskins I took earlier this year) is a clear sign that they are related to goldfinches. Princess was very excited by the new prospective suitors and started "flirting" furiously, prompting George to fly back into their room and defend his turf. Princess has been making new calls recently, a subdued, intricate series of soft squeaks, sometimes punctuated by harsh outbursts. It really makes me wonder what she is trying to say... Yesterday I heard a loud bump on that window, and caught a glimpse of a Cooper's hawk (or possibly a Sharp-shinned hawk) flying away with its prey. A pile of feathers is all that's left.