RBG. Hendrie Valley, Burlington ON. October 10th. 2020. I always like seeing Purple Finches. No special reason except that I don’t very often, but I did today and was cheered by them. It’s not that they’re rare but at the same time, neither are they common. Most Purple Finches spend their winters a little bit south of us and their summers a little bit north, making us just somewhere along the way, somewhere to fly over rather than to stop and say hello.
Today’s Purple Finches were among a small group of American Goldfinches picking seed from the heads of exhausted summer sunflowers. Here is a photo of a female from today.
…and in the masthead a group of males photographed six years ago – a testament perhaps to how infrequently I get the chance.
Interestingly, Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes of Purple Finch that “Although widespread and regularly seen, this bird is one of the least-studied finches in North America because it is neither common enough to be easily studied nor rare enough to be threatened with extinction.” Falling between two stools.
I agree wholeheartedly, always a treat when they make an appearance. Thank you.