[Bristol-Birds] purple vs house finches

From: "Bruce J. Turner" <fishgen@xxxxxx>
To: Bristol Birds <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 12:24:05 -0500
In response to the note on purple finches:  I have several feeders on my
property in the Briarwood section of Johnson City.  No matter what the
feedsers contain, saflower seeds, oil sunflower, etc., the most aggressive
and persistent visitors are a group of about 12 house finches, including
two males in orange plumage.  In early October, however, I noticed that
among them were two large pairs of purple finches (the males were
recognizable by their clear belly areas and a color that was more reddish
purple than orange).  They stayed for about a week, and then were gone.  I
lived in Town Acres since 1986 before moving to my present home in August
of this year (for those of you that know the area, I lived in the large
brick contemporary at the corner of Rambling Rd and Camelot Circle).    I
often had as many as 5 feeders up on this property, and while I saw dozens
of house finches, in all the years I was there I never saw a single purple
finch... . I know the purple finch well, because I teach at VaTech and the
trees in front of Derring Hall are sometimes filled with them (few or no
house finches, at least as yet), and I'm fairly sure I would have
recognized one if it appeared at my previous home in Johnson City.  I
suspect (based solely on anecdotal evidence) that house finch is gradually
outcompeting the purple finch for lebensraum in Johnson City area.
Certainly they seem more aggressive at feeders (I've seen a group of them
frighten off a male redbellied woodpecker that must have been 2.5 times
their size).

By the way, also at my feeders is a very large male rufous-sided towhee.  I
realize that this is a common species, but I have never seen one eating at
a sunflower seed feeder before---I've encountered them solely in the woods.
Live and learn...

******************************************************************************

                                        Bruce J. Turner
                                        Assoc. Professor of Biology
                                        VPISU, Blacksburg, VA 24061
                                        (540)-231-7444
                                        fishgen@xxxxxx


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[Bristol-Birds] purple vs house finches

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