Bluebird of Hope

 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -..

Love this poem (by Emily Dickinson), it reminds me of bluebirds. They have just build a nest in the box in my yard!!

Purple Finches are on the Move, Watch for Them!

                                                    Purple Finch, male 

Purple Finch, female 

House Finch, male looks similar to Purple Finch, male

 I'm excited that it's getting really finchy here in eastern MA! Finally, Purple Finches are coming through, had two males yesterday, a female the day before and a male and female today, plus Pine Siskin yesterday. The last photo is a male House Finch. Notice the difference with the male Purple Finch who is suffused all over with a more raspberry red and has little flank streaking, whereas the male House Finch has red on head, breast and rump, heavily streaked flanks and a shorter more curved bill. We have a special section in the new The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada (pub. Sept. 17, 2024, available for preorder now on amazon and more) on telling the confusing red finches apart.

Much of the East Under Severe Weather Threat.

"Severe" (fill in the blank; tornadoes, snow, wind, sleet, rain, flooding) seems to be the new norm as much of the eastern part of the country is under weather threats today and tomorrow.

Stay safe, hunker down and fill feeders beforehand.

 

HAPPY EASTER!!

                                      HAPPY EASTER COTTONTAIL!!

                                              ENJOY YOUR EASTER

DO YOU HAVE GOLDFINCHES NOW?

If you came to this blog post because you were expecting answers about why you are not seeing goldfinches in any year, here is the answer.
Goldfinches are erratic about where they occur. They move around in winter depending on food sources. They may not appear in winter, spring, summer or fall in areas where they were previously. So at any time of year you may not be seeing them when you saw them before.
In addition, Goldfinches breeding range includes most of the northern two thirds of the country and into Canada. In winter, they leave the northernmost part of that range and are found in the rest of the U.S. including down into the South. Thus do not expect to see them in the far northern area of their range in winter, or the most southern part of their range in summer. Goldfinches change color in winter from their breeding yellow plumage to a brown-gray.
The best way to attract goldfinches is to keep feeders full of hulled sunflower, one of their favorites, or you can use thistle (nyjer) seed, make sure it is fresh. I have a new book coming out this fall, Sept. 17, 2024, The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada. It includes everything about American Goldfinches and all the other finches; ID, breeding, food, migrations, conservation, and more. You can Pre-Order it now HERE!

HAPPY 1ST DAY OF SPRING!!

 

Happy First Day of Spring! Early arrivals that have been spotted, Tree Swallows and Eastern Phoebe. These insect eaters will have to contend with the roller coaster weather in New England, warm, sunny, and windy today, then next week rain, cold, and even possibly a snow shower. They are a welcome sign that things are moving forward, bring on the other migrants!

Hummingbirds are Coming!!

 

Believe it or not, hummingbirds have already started arriving in the southern part of the U.S. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been spotted in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, so time to get the hummingbird feeders up in those areas. If you're in the northern parts of the country, it seems like a long time before hummingbirds will be enthralling you. These photos may help you dream about it. You can track their progress and see other people's spring hummer sightings at eBird.org.