lonesome55dove

Pine Siskins like small seeds so hanging tube feeders or sock feeders filled with thistle seeds or black nyjer seeds will easily attract them to your feeding area for a closer look.

in the low 20s Yikes! Aren't there snakes and other creepy crawly critters that can get inside your house? If I left my windows open at night without screens I might wake up to find a raccoon or a porcupine sitting on the kitchen table waiting for breakfast, lol! Is that 20ºC of 20ºF? I'm guessing it is 20ºC which is about 68ºF, right? 🙂

My prediction of Dark-eyed Juncos was wrong. My first bird of the year was a small covy of California Quail which was a pleasant surprise. 🙂

Most likely a Dark-eyed Junco...altho a huge flock of European Starlings arrived this morning so it might be a toss up. Happy New Year! 🙂

I agree...Townsend's Solitaire. 🙂

I also agree with Hairy. Based on the bird's body size which appears large to me and not dainty/dinky as would be expected for a Downy. 🙂

Hi Burt, Welcome to Whatbird! I can not see the photo either. 🙂

Maybe Dark-eyed Junco?? 🙂

You are welcome! 🙂

I've added a photo of each woodpecker for comparison. I hope this helps with the shoulder spur debate. The ''black, comma shaped'' mark is the ''shoulder spur'' which is very visible on this Hairy Woodpecker. The Downy does not usually have this mark, however occasionally one will have it but it will be very faint. 🙂 I would call the bird in the OP's post a Hairy. 🙂

It is looks like a female Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker. Yellow-shafted males have a black malar and a red nape crescent...females do not have the malar but do have the red nape crescent which is not visible in this photo. Do you have any other shots of this bird? 🙂

Yes, I expect you are right on the House Finch. I studied the bill for quite a while and thought that it fit a Purple best but I failed to look at any other features such as the facial pattern which is definitely a key factor in this ID. Thanks for your help. 🙂

To my eyes, the bill doesn't look right for a Pine Siskin...I think it fits a female Purple Finch better. 🙂 Perhaps @The Bird Nuts will chime in on this one. 🙂

Yep, California, lol!!! I live in the PNW aka the Pacific Northwest [Washington, Oregon, and Idaho]...it is a more specific ''region'' of the West. South Carolina is in the South Atlantic region, a more specific region of the South. 🙂

14 JUL 2019