Thanks for the post.
My first impression was that a European Goldfinch would be very unlikely to
occur in Oregon as a vagrant. Some maps show its normal range only extending
as far east as western Asia, and not at a very high latitude. I was a bit
surprised that the species occurs or has occurred as a vagrant to Japan:
http://www.bubo.org/Checklists/japan-bird-list.html Despite the Japanese ;
records, I think you are right that it is likely a bird escaped or released
from captivity. The following link is a recent one about the species in the
upper Midwest: thttp://net-results.blogspot.com/2009/01/european-goldfinch.htm ;
Jeff Gilligan
On Jan 13, 2016, at 6:20 PM, Courtney Appleyard <courtapple@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Someone posted a picture of a European Goldfinch on a snowy feeder today on
Facebook ("The Hummingbird Whisperer" group). The caption was "I think he's
a goldfinch of some sort". I responded saying it was a European Goldfinch,
and not native to the U.S. - most likely an escapee. After much prodding
from multiple people, the poster said the picture was taken at her aunt's
house in northern Oregon. I am trying to get more information and determine
whether they'd be willing to allow people to come see the bird.
