Is it spring yet?

I'm not a birder, but I DO admire birds. A large flock of these little guys flew in yesterday to the trees behind my house. I have no idea what they are, but they were feeding off something on the tree. The tree is an alder, so I suppose those little hanging down things have seeds in them..... :)

[Linda]

Pretty. I can't really tell what type of birds they are either.

[Muriel Scheurer]

Not a real birder too, I just love cute little fluffy birds and I always want to know what they are called. They look a lot like the european house sparrows that regurlarly visit our stables for a meal (and the occasional quarrel) but, guessing you are living on the other side of the ocean and after a little research, maybe they are american sparrows? They do have those little brown 'hats' and white greyish tummies...Anyway, they are just cute, it must have been fun watching them.

[Margaret Tryon]

I'm a major bird nut. I love chasing them around with my camera, and in return, I feed them. Love your shot.

[Rainer Wieland]

With the red cap and the stiped sides these appear to be Common Redpolls. I don't get to see them in my part of the country. Where are these taken?

[KathyD]

@rawieland They are quite common....but I noticed one had quite a reddish breast. These birds are in Ontario, Canada.....Ottawa.

[Rainer Wieland]

@kathyo The males have red on the breast, females typically dont. Check out http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Redpoll/id

[KathyD]

@rawieland Thanks....that's what they were. And according to the map, they would be here during the winter. :)