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Fall Birds - and need an ID
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Posted by
northspruce z3a MB CDA (
My Page) on
Tue, Oct 16, 12 at 22:59
| These are what are hanging around with my chickadees and juncoes this fall. The first three are the same bird, maybe not the same individual. I don't know what they are - help! I'm stumped!
It has a pale breast with indistinct buffy spots, a definite yellow area under the bill, and the back was darker with at least one wing bar. The legs and feet were quite pink/red. the bill was conical like a finch or sparrow. It was a slower bird and perched for several minutes at a time.
Here's a red-breasted nuthatch. They're around all day but I can't get a great shot because they're so busy!
Here is the bigger white-breasted nuthatch
And this was either a sapsucker or a downy woodpecker... I just missed it! LOL
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Well, that guy sure is different! Definitely finch-like, though. Pudge is a bird person - maybe post the picture on Facebook. I don't have feeders up yet as we usually wait until later in the season for that. We have to move our main feeder now because dh built a small deck in front of the porch and the feeder is right over it. There's usually a mess under it. There's so many times that i try to take a picture of birds and it doesn't work! |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| I am so so so so stumped. The only thing I can find that's close is a Hoary Redpoll or a Field Sparrow, but neither is quite right. A field sparrow at least has red legs... |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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- Posted by pudge 2/3 Sask (My Page) on
Wed, Oct 17, 12 at 18:57
| I think your bird is a young female goldfinch showing fall plumage. The females aren't very showy at the best of times and as winter approaches they get even duller. One year I had goldfinch still at the feeders at christmas so they will hang around late into the year. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Thanks Pudge, I think you have a winner! My first reaction was no, the wings weren't black enough and goldfinches don't have red legs, but I'm looking at different photos and it seems their colouring is so variable. The little "V" tail gives it away, and what else would have that little bit of yellow under the chin. :) |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Oh rats! I even thought that! And i would have been right, for a change! |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Great shots! pudge is right, the last of the three picture is a typical young little goldfinch. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Thanks Konrad. So should I put out some nyjer seed? I've been feeding just black sunflower. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| I love nyjer, I usually start this expensive seed in around November, mostly for red polls. Black sunflower is also what I feed and goldfinches do eat sunflower seed. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| I have a bag of nyjer, I just need to get a tube feeder for it. I tried putting it in my gazebo feeder in the spring and it all blew out. :( |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| I had a new guy at the feeder this morning. I'm pretty sure it's the non-breeding male goldfinch. Think so? 
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RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| These are Pine Siskin, note.. sharp-point beak. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Ah! Thanks Konrad. I can add a new one to my list of feeder visitors this year. :) |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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Couple of newbies recently. The first I think is a male Goldfinch:
And this has to be a House Finch, even though both my bird books say they don't live here. But they're introduced and spreading, so I think that's what this is.
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RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Yes, I would say you're right, strange that you still have Goldfinch around. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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Yay, I finally have some pine grosbeaks, a flock of about 10 and a couple of redpolls.
Mister:
Mrs.:
And a redpoll
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RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| We have a really chubby Mrs. here. If i didn't know any better, i'd say she was with.....eggs! LOL |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Nice, northspruce! No redpolls here yet, it seems every year they come around December. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| Great bird shots! I can't get that close to my feather dusters and I probably need a better camera anyway. The finchs are abundant this winter; house and purple. Also had regular visits from my flicker friends. Lots of jays and of course, my black and white brats! Marcia, everything is fat around here! Lol! Ginny |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| I think that grosbeak was injured. I found her this afternoon hanging around my [frozen] pond. I probably just about stepped on her when i was putting up the Christmas lights. :-/ Anyway, she couldn't seem to fly, though i thought i saw her flying yesterday. She was around for awhile, but i was busy (we were putting in a new kitchen window!), and later when i looked for her she was gone. I'm hoping that she got away somewhere and that the dog didn't get her. |
RE: Fall Birds - and need an ID
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| My camera is 50x optical zoom but the most recent shots are just okay because I cheated and took them through the kitchen window. ;) Too cold to stand around outside convincing grosbeaks to look cute. The pine siskins were taken from outside, you can see the quality difference LOL. |
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