purple finch male at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A8272
I was quite surprised to see this late purple finch male here at Lake Meyer Park today. He must be a bachelor since most purple finch pairs are on their breeding grounds in northern Minnesota and Canada by now. I can promise that this is the last purple finch photo I post on Flickr this spring since I will be off-line from now until mid-May when all purple finches will be long gone from Iowa.
I am headed to sunny southern California next week in search of some fantastic specialty birds that can only be found there and nowhere else in the States. Before I go, I need to study up on those target birds and burn their looks into my brain so I can identify them in the field. I'll be doing that this week, along with finalizing my flight and shuttle arrangements, organizing my gear and getting packed to go. I will be traveling light and fast out there, with my main goal just to see as many new birds as possible and not worrying about photos so I may not have much to show when I return in mid-May. Thanks for all your faves and comments and I can't wait to check out all your great photos when I get back from California.
purple finch male at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A8272
I was quite surprised to see this late purple finch male here at Lake Meyer Park today. He must be a bachelor since most purple finch pairs are on their breeding grounds in northern Minnesota and Canada by now. I can promise that this is the last purple finch photo I post on Flickr this spring since I will be off-line from now until mid-May when all purple finches will be long gone from Iowa.
I am headed to sunny southern California next week in search of some fantastic specialty birds that can only be found there and nowhere else in the States. Before I go, I need to study up on those target birds and burn their looks into my brain so I can identify them in the field. I'll be doing that this week, along with finalizing my flight and shuttle arrangements, organizing my gear and getting packed to go. I will be traveling light and fast out there, with my main goal just to see as many new birds as possible and not worrying about photos so I may not have much to show when I return in mid-May. Thanks for all your faves and comments and I can't wait to check out all your great photos when I get back from California.