Finches and Allies

Families: Fringillidae, Passeridae, Ploceidae, Estrilididae

Finches are small to medium sized birds with pointed wings, notched tails, stout bills, and distinctive flight calls. Female finches can be quite plain while males can be quite colorful.

Male House Finch In Front Of An Old Red Barn – What’s In A Name?

By |November 18th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, House Finches, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Just a simple photo this morning of a male House Finch perched on a greasewood in front of an old red barn at Farmington Bay WMA.

American Goldfinches In Winter Plumage

By |November 11th, 2021|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I spent some time with American Goldfinches in their winter plumage in my viewfinder and had fun photographing them.

Orange Variant Male House Finch Photos

By |November 10th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, House Finches|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I had the opportunity to take a nice long series of an orange variant male House Finch while it ate the seeds of a greasewood.

Surprise Pine Siskin

By |July 8th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Pine Siskins, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I was high in the Wasatch Mountains photographing bees on a Musk Thistle when a Pine Siskin landed on the flower.

Male American Goldfinch Perched On A Chokecherry Tree

By |July 4th, 2021|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

At the end of June I had a few moments to focus on an adult male American Goldfinch perched on a chokecherry tree high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Spring Male American Goldfinch

By |May 26th, 2021|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I photographed this male American Goldfinch and thought about how he is as bright as the dandelions that are blooming now in the mountains.

2020 Photographic Year In Review

By |December 31st, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Bushtits, Common Loons, Cooper’s Hawks, Desert Tarantulas, Eastern Kingbirds, Elk, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Gray Catbirds, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, Green-tailed Towhees, Merlins, Mountain Bluebirds, Nashville Warblers, Northern Harriers, Pine Siskins, Red Foxes, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Red-tailed Hawks, Ring-billed Gulls, Rusty Blackbirds, Short-eared Owls, Townsend's Solitaires, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, West Desert, Wild Turkeys, Wildflowers, Yellow Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is my 2020 photographic year in review. I'm selecting some of my favorite photos from 2020 and a few that just make me happy to see them.

Cozy Red-tailed Hawks And Finches Galore

By |November 23rd, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Box Elder County, Pine Siskins, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning the first birds I spotted and photographed was a pair of adult Red-tailed Hawks side by side on a rocky ledge in early morning light.

Male Cassin’s Finch Eating a Mountain Mahogany Seed

By |November 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Cassin's Finches, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This male Cassin's Finch did pop out into the open with a mahogany seed in his bill and even though he was in the shade I took a few photos of him.

Male Lesser Goldfinches And Common Sunflower Seeds

By |October 29th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Lesser Goldfinches, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday opportunity knocked when several Lesser Goldfinches flew in to knosh on wild sunflowers seeds near a road at Farmington Bay WMA.

Pine Siskin In The Wasatch Mountains

By |August 12th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Pine Siskins, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The bird activity picked up just after the sun rose over the mountains peaks and as I scanned the area for birds I spotted this Pine Siskin almost directly in front of me clinging to a small branch.

Male American Goldfinch, Thistles, Ants and Aphids

By |July 25th, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago the first bird I photographed high in the mountains was an adult male American Goldfinch clinging to thistles that were covered in ants and aphids.

Male American Goldfinch – Sunlight And Shadows

By |July 7th, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The bright yellow bird that flew into my field of view was a male American Goldfinch that stood out like a ray of sunshine against the shadows of some tall nearby trees.

Hearing Thousands Of American Goldfinches Flying Overhead

By |May 28th, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have never heard so many American Goldfinches flying overhead for such a long period of time and I was in awe. I still am.

Upside Down Winter American Goldfinch Feeding On Wild Sunflower Seeds

By |November 26th, 2019|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I feel a little like this American Goldfinch this morning, meaning I feel like I am upside down because of issues on my web site that started just after I woke up at o'dark hundred.

Wild Roses Provide Cover for Sparrows, Finches And Juncos

By |November 21st, 2019|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Box Elder County, Dark-eyed Juncos, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Small birds like these White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos and American Goldfinches need cover that provides safety for them from predators.

Lesser Goldfinch Perched on Greasewood At Farmington Bay WMA

By |September 29th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Lesser Goldfinches, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Until three days ago I really haven't taken any decent images of Lesser Goldfinches that weren't at bird feeders but that changed when this one landed on a greasewood in front of me at Farmington Bay WMA.

Douglas Firs – Bird Food Grown, Stored And Served in Handy Cones

By |September 15th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Daggett County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Trees, Utah, West Desert|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The cones of Douglas Firs provide food for birds and mammals and the trees provide shelter and nesting areas too. I've been paying attention to the Douglas Firs we have here for several years because of the birds I know I can find eating the seeds of the trees from their cones.

Molting American Goldfinch Feasting On Musk Thistle Seeds

By |August 14th, 2019|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One year ago today I went up into the Wasatch Mountains and for about three minutes I photographed a molting American Goldfinch feasting on Musk Thistle seeds.

Autumn American Goldfinch and Rose Hips

By |November 23rd, 2018|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Box Elder County, Finches and Allies, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Earlier this week I left home well before the sun came up, sat on my rear end for over five hours, traveled over 230 miles and the only decent image I took was of this American Goldfinch perched on a wild rose surrounded by scarlet rose hips.

Female and Male American Goldfinches Lifting Off From Musk Thistles

By |August 19th, 2018|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

When the female American Goldfinch lifted off I liked the eye contact I had with her and how graceful she looked when she raised her wings, when I saw this image on my camera LCD I just had to smile.

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