A fine winter's Dogwalk

This was the coldest morning of the winter so far, but it didn't feel as bad as yesterday, with its gale-driven snow shards. It's bright and clear, and there are many birds out. You won't see them in this post, but cottonmanifesto is busily working on her post, which may include buffleheads, a great blue heron, a Cooper's hawk, a red-bellied woodpecker, and a finch--either a purple finch or a house finch. After six years of birding, I still can't tell the difference, and no one has been able to adequately explain how they can tell the difference either. She just called me from the other room, confused, comparing her photos with a field guide. Now I think it might be a common redpoll. Stay tuned.

( and on to my birdless pictures )

365 Urban species. #016: Common Redpoll

Urban species #016: Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea

The common redpoll is a holarctic species of finch. Holarctic means that it is found in a ecological zone that circles the northern part of the northern hemisphere, just as red foxes, brown bears, and wolves are. Being a finch means that it feeds almost entirely on seeds. Together, this means that common redpolls are found visiting birdfeeders in Hokkaido, Moscow, Glasgow, Juneau, Toronto, as well as Boston. Their occasional winter visits south of their breeding range are related to fluctuations in the supplies of their favorite food supplies, such as birch catkins (pictured here, in Boston. photo by cottonmanifesto)