They're Back… Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpureus)

November 18th, 2014. Last Fall-Winter, we didn’t see the Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpureus) until January 4^th this year and then we saw them intermittently until March 4^th when they probably left for their breeding grounds up North. 

We had a particularly cold couple of nights in mid-November and, lo and behold, two males turned up at the sunflower seed feeder. They’ve come back again each time it’s been particularly cold. I suspect that they’ve been in the woods for a while and only come out so early in the season when they need a little extra nourishment. It’s great to see them again.

 Reference:

- National Geographic: Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)