Something Downeast

House finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) were initially regarded with some rancor by many New England birders; the House finch is an invasive species. As a kid in New Hampshire, we had Purple finches and Red polls as reliable feeder visitors; I saw my first House finch in Southern California, and became familiar with House finches in Puget Sound. 

A slightly better photo. 

OK; none of these is very good.

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I hear woodpeckers drumming quite a lot, Harry woodpeckers, Downy woodpeckers, and sometimes, Pileated woodpeckers. They all sound a little different, but sometimes, I can’t tell which is which. Today I saw a Downy woodpecker, first on the suet, then, on the finch feeder.

The little red dot marks it as a male. The slightly smaller size, the white bars on the shoulders mark it as a Downy woodpecker instead of the larger Harry woodpecker.

I think. It’s pretty hard to tell them apart sometimes.

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Starting tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, and bringing snow and wind from about noon Wednesday to late Thursday. I’m smack-dab-in-the-middle of coastal Maine and the 12” to 18” inches.

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