Return of a House Finch

In the past, we had many House Finches showing up at the feeders. In fact, they were breeding nearby and would bring the fledglings to the feeders and we enjoyed them during certain times of the year. Then, they disappeared. Hmmm...

Today, I was about to leave the house for some chores and noticed a strange silhouette at the front feeder. A closer peak through the curtains revealed it was a male House Finch enjoying the sunflower seeds. I bolted back to the camera bag and eased outside very slowly to get a shot.



He looks a bit rough but he is a very welcome sight back by the home. Maybe we can see some more into the Spring next year.

Back to the Lake Cherokee Mute Swans

I was searching for the main group of seven Mute Swans but they were hiding in the reeds for a while. I finally relocated them resting at a corner of Lake Cherokee, just across the street from where they nested at Lake Lotus. We are still at seven birds and the signets all look plenty healthy. I only had my zoom on board so I had to take two shots and made a composite to show all of them. Unfortunately, that image is so large it turns out pretty small on the blog layout.



A close-up of one of the resting gray forms is a bit more interesting.



This seems to be their new hangout right on the edge of the roundabout. Now I need some migrants!