[Bristol-Birds] 200+ Purple Finches

From: "Richard Kretz" <fatcatz33@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol Birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:40:50 -0400
Folks,
During the past week or so Purple Finches began arriving in our backyard and 
reached a peak presence well in excess of 200 (far too many to get an accurate 
count of and the actual number may well be twice my very conservative estimate) 
by 9:00 yesterday morning when my wife called my attention to the "sea of red 
birds" viewed from the kitchen window. There has been an incredibly noisy 
caucophony while they feed on black oil sunflower seed from feeders and on the 
ground. At approx. 3:00 in the afternoon Dave Worley and Laverne Hunter came 
over and were able to observe no less than 60 Purple Finches at one time on the 
ground and at the feeders with many many more in surrounding trees. By 6:30 in 
the evening only five or six Purple Finches were still present. At approx. 9:00 
this morning about 2 dozen Purple Finches were again feeding. Fall of 2006 is 
the first record of Purple Finches in our yard. They appeared again last spring 
and again in the fall, but there were never more than eight to ten at one time 
and only for a day or two. Late last fall I installed a small pond with a 
stream that is landscaped with plenty of cover and several large feeders. This 
has significantly increased all bird populations on the property. While no 
doubt a contributing factor, I can't prove that it's the primary reason such a 
large migrating flock of Purple Finches has come through. Following is a photo 
showing approx. 80 Purple Finches feeding on the ground. Additional photos are 
available upon request.


In addition to the Purple Finches we've experienced an increase in other 
uncommon birds. Previously we saw two to four Rusty BBs only for a day or two 
in November. This year we've seen them several times throughout the winter, 
inclusive of two yesterday morning. We've also seen Pine Siskins on a more 
regular basis inclusive of two yesterday morning. Previous to this winter we 
didn't see any Black-Capped Chickadees, only Carolinas. This winter we've seen 
them a fair number of times and were surprised to see one at a feeder yesterday 
afternoon at about 3:30. Raptor numbers have increased significantly as well. A 
Loggerhead Shrike for the second consecutive winter came in several times and 
chased after Goldfinches at tube feeders. Other birds of interest yesterday 
included a FOS R-T hummer in the morning, several Tree Swallows that appear 
ready to nest, 3 Flickers heavily involved in a mating ritual, a male Towhee, 
and an Eastern Phoebe.
Enjoy the birds...
Richard Kretz
Elk Garden, Russell Co., VA
[Bristol-Birds] 200+ Purple Finches

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