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Irritating House Finch Behaviour, and other stories



Dear Folks:

Yesterday I learned of a new reason to dislike House Finches, as if I needed
one. This species has long been my 2nd-least-liked local bird, with
Starlings holding the top spot.

Saturday afternoon was beautiful after a morning shower, with bright sun,
blue sky, light wind, and puffy white clouds. The daffodils were blooming,
the maples were beginning to open buds, the grass was greening by the hour,
the spring peepers were calling, and the forsythias were beginning to open
their blooms. As I was admiring this pageant from the porch, I became aware
of a single male House Finch methodically working his way up each branch in
turn of a just-blooming forsythia, biting off each bloom, twiddling it in
his beak, dropping it, and moving forward to bite off the next bloom. This
continued until I threw a piece of firewood at the finch (missing), at which
point he had denuded four branches of the forsythia. Looking more closely at
the planting, I realized that this one (hopefully) aberrant finch had been
at work for several days. Has anyone else noted this behaviour in House
Finches?

Also, today (Sunday) a large flock of Robins numbering at least 1200 birds
appeared on the pasture, Kestrels are trying to decide on the boxes they
will use this year, Wood Ducks on the pond, and Red-Shouldered Hawks in
apparent courting flights over Stoney Knob. It has been a long and
ornithologically unproductive winter in the mountains, and I am ready for
spring.

James Coman
Alleghany County.