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Old Purple Finch



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Today (12 February) at noon at Hilton Pond I re-caught a red (i.e., 
adult male) Purple Finch #2111-88193 in the pullstring platform 
feeder trap outside my kitchen window.

This bird was originally captured on 15 February 1993--in the same 
trap--when it was a second-year bird of unknown sex.

Curiously, I haven't seen this bird since, and it is now a NINTH-YEAR bird!

According to the Bird Banding Lab, the longevity record for a Purple 
Finch is 11 years and 9 months.

I don't know where this bird has been, but I'll bet he has some 
stories to tell. (Wonder how many sunflower seeds he's eaten since 
1993?)

If the trend continues, I expect to see him again on 9 February 2007.


Cheers,

BILL
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BILL HILTON JR., "The Piedmont Naturalist"
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road
York, South Carolina 29745
USA

e-mail: <hilton@hiltonpond.org>

Voice: (803) 684-5852

eFax: (503) 218-0845



Hilton Pond Website:  <http://www.hiltonpond.org>

Operation RubyThroat Website:  <http://www.rubythroat.org>


"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to 
watch the sunset."

						BHjr.

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