Re: [SBB] So... what is this?

["mary keitelman" <[[email protected]]>]

Thanks publishing this Chuq!

After looking at Sibley books at length and thinking of all the finches I've 
seen, I think it's an adult male American Goldfinch in nonbreeding/changing 
plumage.

reasons:
bill shape makes it a finch
pinkish bill disting is a characteristic of American Goldfinches (breeding 
tho!)
we can just see teh top of the lesser covert, and it is yellow.

It doesn't seem to be a female house finch, as they have a streaked breast 
-- we see no streaking at all here. pollen dusted all over the bird seems 
unlikely, and if it was, wouldn't the breast be yellowish also?

Not really sure tho!

Mary Keitelman

>From: Chuq Von Rospach <[[email protected]]>
>To: SBB birds <[[email protected]]>
>Subject: Re: [SBB] So... what is this?
>Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 08:16:58 -0700
>
> >> Laurie took this shot at shoreline, at the pumping station. The
> >> swallow she expected to find. Her neighbor?
> >>
> >> http://www.flickr.com/photos/lsefton/138071102/in/photostream/
>
>Just to follow up on this --
>
>Responses leaned towards one of two answers:
>
>Female house finch, with some pollen.
>
>A goldfinch ( possibly a lesser, bob reiling thought a young male
>american).
>
>Most people who responded felt it was a sparrow, and a sparrow
>"borrowing" a swallow's nest is expected behavior, I'm going to lean
>in that direction, although to be honest, comparing it to the
>pictures in Sibley's the beak makes me lean towards the goldfinch. It
>could be either from those shots.
>
>
>--
>Chuq Von Rospach, Architech
>[[email protected]] -- http://chuqui.typepad.com/
>
>Very funny, Scotty. Now beam my clothes down here, will you?
>
>
>
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