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January 21, 2012 / Leslie

Weekend Birding: Cold House Finches

House Finches are year round residents in the Chicago area. In the winter they are often seen in groups in urban areas, parks and backyards.

I saw this pair at my favorite bird watching site, Cantigny Gardens. The male is on the right and the female on the left. They don’t seem to mind the snow or the cold. Their layer of down feathers provide good insulation.

 


Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.

33 Comments

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  1. Margaret @ BooksPlease / Jan 21 2012 5:16 am
    Margaret @ BooksPlease's avatar

    A lovely scene – I hope you weren’t too cold either.

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    • Leslie / Jan 22 2012 3:02 am
      Leslie's avatar

      Yeah, I was cold. But I had a down coat to keep me warm.

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  2. Louise / Jan 21 2012 6:56 am
    Louise's avatar

    What a lovely shot. I really like the red of his breast and the berries. I was excited to see a robin in Ireland 18 months ago.

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    • Leslie / Jan 22 2012 3:03 am
      Leslie's avatar

      An American Robin? I didn’t know they were anywhere outside of North America.

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  3. Staci / Jan 21 2012 7:20 am
    Staci's avatar

    That is an absolutely visually stunning picture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!

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  4. Jayme@Beachreader / Jan 21 2012 7:27 am
    Jayme@Beachreader's avatar

    That is a beautiful shot. It could be on a Christmas card.

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  5. Jill / Jan 21 2012 7:44 am
    Jill's avatar

    Looks like a calendar photo!

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  6. Kay / Jan 21 2012 7:47 am
    Kay's avatar

    What a beautiful picture. I agree with Jill. Could be a calendar or poster shot. Thanks for sharing it!

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  7. Trish / Jan 21 2012 8:02 am
    Trish's avatar

    That’s so cute how they puff up like that.

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  8. Diane@BibliophileBytheSea / Jan 21 2012 8:32 am
    Diane@BibliophileBytheSea's avatar

    It would make a pretty holiday card!

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  9. BermudaOnion / Jan 21 2012 8:57 am
    BermudaOnion's avatar

    They’re beautiful! Your photos look like they belong in books!

    Like

  10. laurelrainsnow / Jan 21 2012 9:29 am
    Laurel-Rain Snow's avatar

    The snow and the berries remind me of something delectable to eat! Gorgeous….and the birds just add the topping.

    Thanks for sharing….

    Here’s MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT – and here’s
    MY WEBSITE

    Like

  11. Vicki / Jan 21 2012 12:37 pm
    Vicki's avatar

    So tiny! They’re both beautiful!
    Here’s Mine

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  12. Alyce / Jan 21 2012 12:49 pm
    Alyce's avatar

    They look so pretty against the snow!

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  13. Book Savvy Babe / Jan 21 2012 2:00 pm
    Book Savvy Babe's avatar

    very pretty birds, i love the one with the red breast, beautiful 🙂 Book Savvy Babe

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  14. Lisa / Jan 21 2012 2:13 pm
    Lisa's avatar

    What a beautiful photo!

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  15. litendeavorsJenn O @ Lit Endeavors / Jan 21 2012 2:39 pm
    litendeavorsJenn O @ Lit Endeavors's avatar

    Wow. That’s gasp-inducing!

    Like

  16. vintageauto / Jan 21 2012 2:54 pm
    vintageauto's avatar

    Beautiful. The male is startling in the snow!

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  17. Suko / Jan 21 2012 3:09 pm
    Suko's avatar

    Another glorious photo! So pretty!

    Like

  18. storygal / Jan 21 2012 4:00 pm
    storygal's avatar

    You got a wonderful photo of this pair. Wonder why the males are made so colourful and the females less so.

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    • Leslie / Jan 22 2012 3:07 am
      Leslie's avatar

      The males are often more colorful. It has to do with mating. I guess the prettier guy gets the gal.

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  19. mostraum / Jan 21 2012 4:21 pm
    mostraum's avatar

    Another wonderful bird photo.

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  20. Mary / Jan 21 2012 7:02 pm
    Mary's avatar

    I love your bird photos!

    Like

  21. Annie @ButteryBooks / Jan 21 2012 9:22 pm
    Annie @ButteryBooks's avatar

    What a great photo! Postcard perfect!

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  22. Paulita / Jan 21 2012 11:09 pm
    Paulita's avatar

    I still think they look cold. Here’s Mine

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  23. edgar / Jan 22 2012 1:26 am
    edgar's avatar

    Very nice contrast with the red breasted birds and the snow. I mostly see red wing blackbirds near our place.

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    • Leslie / Jan 22 2012 3:08 am
      Leslie's avatar

      I haven’t seen a red-wing blackbird in a few months. They were smart and flew south for the winter.

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  24. gautami tripathy / Jan 22 2012 8:15 am
    gautami tripathy's avatar

    So cold!

    Here is my Saturday
    Snapshot
    post!

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  25. Marie / Jan 22 2012 1:14 pm
    Marie's avatar

    Nice! We only have these here in the summer months. Sometimes, I have a hard time telling them apart from purple finches.

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    • Leslie / Jan 22 2012 1:38 pm
      Leslie's avatar

      From a distance they look the same to me too. With the binoculars I can see the heavier breast streaking and white eyebrow on the female. The males are just brighter overall than the house finch. Although, I had some very colorful house finches last summer.

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  26. Sharon Chance / Jan 22 2012 4:55 pm
    Sharon Chance's avatar

    This would make a beautiful painting! Love it!

    Like

  27. CameraCruise / Jan 23 2012 5:12 am
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    Beautiful shot!

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  28. carol / Jan 25 2012 2:33 pm
    carol's avatar

    What a wonderful shot. Birds just never seem to stay still for long enough for me.

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