Birds echo dreams of spring

By this time of the year, I usually start imagining spring is right around the corner, even though there are potentially two more months of winter cold and snow left. We’ve gained daylight; it’s light out when I get up in the morning and still light past 5 in the evening. Even though there is a winter weather watch for tonight, forecasting 3 to 6inches of snow, I remain optimistic.

The other day brought tantalizing promises of warmer weather. It was a sunny, almost balmy day, and the rain of the previous weekend had managed to reduce the snow cover before the severe cold snap arrived. Robins were gathered on bare patches of ground, foraging for food. Best of all, I heard their first tentative notes of the song I associate with spring – the sweet “cheerily, cheeriup,” floating down out of the sky.

I’ve noticed house finches and purple finches are becoming more vocal, also. These two birds are similar in appearance and song. Some clues can help you tell them apart.

Both birds resemble the female house sparrow in size and plumage, with some differences. The male house finch has dark, subtle shadings of red among its light brown feathers. It has a red stripe over its eye, and this color extends down its chest. Its belly is white, with brown streaking. The overall impression is low-key – nothing flashy or overdone. The female has no red at all, and has an even, bland face pattern.

The purple finch, on the other hand, stands out like a beacon. It is a bright, wine-colored red over its whole head and down to its belly; the only brown streaking seen is on its back and wings. The belly is white and unstreaked, unlike the house finch’s. The female has no red, but nevertheless is also boldly marked. She has a noticeable face pattern, with a dark ear and jaw patch, and a white stripe behind and below the eye.

The song of these two species is the tricky part. Peterson’s “Birding by Ear” guide describes the song of the house finch as buzzy. Toward the end of the song, you’ll hear a distinctive “zzrreeee” note. The purple finch’s song sounds clearer, with no buzzing. At the end, there is a descending trill.

Next week, more clues of approaching spring.

Sightings from Jerry Smith, Swett’s Pond Road in Orrington (2/12-2/18):

30 wild turkeys

90 American goldfinches

54 purple finches

On the ice of Penobscot River in Bangor:

1 first-winter Iceland gull

1 first-winter glaucous gull

At Stinson factory in Prospect Harbor:

Several hundred herring and great black-backed gulls

8 Iceland gulls

8 glaucous gulls

Chris Corio is a volunteer for Fields Pond Nature Center. She can be reached at fieldspond@juno.com.