Tuesday: 7 March 2006
Here’s a photo of one that’s a bit further along:
You can now confirm that the leaves are compound, palmately (like a palm) compound). This feature could be seen in yesterday’s photo of the emerging shoot. Along with the woody stem, that pretty much narrows it down.
On the other side of the house, various crises are always emerging.
With purple finches, as with sparrows, first you have one, then you have two, and then there’s a thousand. These females are showing their true feathers. About as nicely as they get, they’re dissuading a fourth female from joining their little group.
We tolerate them though. Maybe they could be hawk food.
The male is close by. He has a definite purple back and neck, unlike the females.
Rurality - email - url
Strange that you have so many. This year we only got a few. And NO pine siskins. Plenty of chipping sparrows though. 
Tuesday: 7 March 2006 @ 09:21:55
Rexroths Daughter - email - url
We only have the house finch up here, at least I think that’s the case. They look so much like the purple finch. I’d have to get much closer to them than they let me, to really id them. We do have pine siskins, though, and they are delightful. Two let me get close enough to see their little yellow markings on their wings.
Speaking of hawk food, Wayne, the other day the pirate and I watched a mature Sharp-shinned fly into the yard and land on a rock next to the pond. All of the birds at the feeder had already dispsersed. We watched the Sharp-shinned through binoculars. It looked around and took off. At that moment a smaller bird (probably a house finch) took off from one of the trees on the edge of our yard. The Sharp-shinned saw it, took off after it, caught it in mid-air and flew away with it. We had never seen anything like it. I always imagined the hawks grabbing its prey on the ground or in the trees, but not in mid-air. Quite a sight.
Tuesday: 7 March 2006 @ 10:30:44
FloridaCracker - email - url
I feel better now. I was about to try virginia creeper out of desperation yesterday, but the stem wasn’t right and it was answered by someone else before I could decide to gamble.
Buckeyes are here, but scarce. I’ve only seen them at Itchetucknee State Park
Tuesday: 7 March 2006 @ 10:55:54
Ontario Wanderer - email - url
In general, I think Purple Finches are a bit plumper than House Finches but I too have great difficulty telling them apart. I think we have all House Finches at present but I am fairly sure that Purple Finches have visited our feeder too.
I seem to be a bit on a mission this morning as I am trying to drum up some extra voices for a fairly new blog called the “i5 inquiry” http://i5inquiry.blogspot.com/
It’s an art group from which I am currently receiving instruction and which appears to be a place of interesting communication and I think it would be great if more people would join in. Since you,
Wayne, have a real gift for words, have shown that you love both nature and numbers, and are engaged in the art of environmental regeneration, I think you would have some interesting ideas to share with the art world too. If I am wrong, ignore me; if not, do have a look at the new blog and consider joining in the conversation. Thanks. All other readers of Niches, being a very special group, are, of course, invited too. You may see this invitation at a few other blogs as I have several people in mind that I think would have different perspectives to offer.
Wednesday: 8 March 2006 @ 05:35:09
