Meet the Pine Siskin !

Here at our home in the high desert of Oregon we get a lot of visitors. This visitor looked different so I grabbed my camera!

We do get some birds heading to the Ochoco Mountains or the Cascade Mountains stop in for a bite to eat. I am thinking this might be the case with this Pine Siskin ? We do have several mature pine species of trees around us, though by no means are we forested mountains like those which we live in between. Or is the high desert anything like Portland or the other urban areas over the mountains.

We do have quite a few house finches of all colors here, pretty much year round. Seeing this finch here is not a huge surprise, where food is to eat best take advantage of the situation right? I actually had a little trouble identifying this bird due to having the house finch here. Dose not look like a house finch…… not with that yellow and those streaks.

The American Goldfinch was also here at the same time. Did not look anything like the American Goldfinch….. why I keep my series of photographs around if they are just for me or to share, is for identification purposes.

Sounds like the Pine Siskin is pretty common over the mountains ?? Here at our home , not so much. Or at least at this date it is not common, who knows the house finches at one time were not common here at home at one time either! Now they nest and bring their young around. Several other species of birds as well. One year they are new , next year they are not…. or vise versa .

I will get more photographs to share if this species ever does come and visit again.