This little beauty had me fooled today. His deep and expansive red colouring had me thinking I had a purple finch gracing my backyard, but on closer scrutiny he's almost certainly a house finch.

I do love my neighbourhood house finches of course, I just can't remember ever seeing them with such intense colouring before!

#Bird #Birding #BackyardBirdwatching #HouseFinch #yeg #Edmonton

And a couple of plump starlings on the Hills hoist clothesline.

#BackyardBirdwatching #EasterWeekend #TeMotuKairangi

The neighbourhood Bluejays have us well trained. One or two of them will sit on the wire outside our back door and skree until we toss some peanuts out for them.

Shortly after another pair shows up to partake in the bounty.

They'll often pick one up, give it a shake, toss it, and then try another, looking for the perfect peanut.

This is what passes for entertainment around here.

I love these birds. 💙

#Bird #Birds #Birdwatching #BackyardBirds #BackyardBirdwatching #Bluejay #Bluejays

Very exciting Sunday around here - a pileated woodpecker came in for a bite. I knew there was one in the neighborhood, but haven’t seen one since September.
(I included a chickadee on the same feeder for size comparison, for anyone who’s never seen one of these woodpeckers.) #birds #BackyardBirdwatching

The blue jays as usual cleaned me out of peanuts. I love their stained glass colours, and how they’re usually pretty collaborative (taking turns) but occasionally get really bratty with each other. Or greedy - the one pictured in the tree flew back for more, while it still had the peanut it shelled still in its beak! #birdwatching #backyardbirdwatching