A House Finch Is Startled

Last fall (November 21, 2008), only a few weeks after beginning this blog, I wrote about House Finches. In that post, I shared a photo of a male. In this post, we'll look briefly--very briefly--at a female OR juvenile male. You see, I can't distinguish between the immature male and female of the species. Given the season (springtime hatchlings are young adults this late in the summer), this somewhat startled bird could be either. If you’re wondering why this female or juvenile male is startled, let me explain . . . with an apology to said bird and to you, my bird-loving readers.

You see, I got this clever idea to place my small, handheld video camera within the bird feeder. I could just imagine the “bird cam” videos I could capture to happily share with you. Of course, real “bird cam” video devices, often inserted into nest boxes, are much smaller and undetectable by the birds they’re meant to watch. Somehow, I imagined that my own device, a bit longer than a cell phone, would not be obtrusive. Boy, was I wrong!

To prove just how wrong, I present my one and only attempt at an “inside” look at birds visiting my feeder. I certainly won’t ever intentionally distress another bird in this way again. Live and learn.

Until next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne