Once upon a time, I read that purple finches resembled sparrows dipped in raspberry juice; and it stuck. Prior to acquiring that bit of knowledge, I had a hard time distinguishing purple finches from the similar and more common house finches.
Due to low cone and deciduous tree seed crops last Fall, purple finches expanded their range in search of food to sustain them throughout Winter; and much to our surprise and delight, they began showing up at our feeders regularly! While most have already started their journey back home to breed, a few still grace us with their raspberry presence. Not knowing when we’ll see these beauties again has us savoring each sighting!
Fascinating narrative, and your finch is awesome! You are so blessed to be able to see these beautiful birds; we mostly have house finches (who are awesome in their own right ...but nice to see both!).
