Yard Bird # 26 - Purple Finch

Not my finest photo, as it was taken through the window on a very gloomy day.  However, this is the first Purple Finch I've seen in the yard since last fall.  This fine male showed up with a small group of house finches (a bird they look very similar to) and stayed only very briefly.  They are rather skittish so I didn't want to risk trying to sneak out on the deck for a better shot.  

Temps dropped to low 40's today with rain and blustery winds.  However, this intrepid blipper still managed to spend about an hour outside stalking various birds around our property.  Most notable today were a Great Blue Heron and several Black Vultures flying over the yard; and a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers working on some dead trees at the edge of the woods.  (Female pictured HERE, on Flickr.)  Also saw the first signs of the cardinals defending territory when one male chased another out of the yard.  Gotta love this time of year.  

Thanks for sending my Downy Woodpecker to the Popular page!  I was sorely tempted to blip this similar shot of a RB woodpecker today, but decided to stay with my yard bird catalog instead.  

By the way, while my Blip yard-bird list now sits at 26; my actual yard sightings for this year is now at 37.  I am hoping to hit 75 total yard species during this year and considering how early it is, I'm on track, I think.  Silly fun.  

Happy Monday.