House Finches

The same pair of House Finches that nested in the hanging basket on our porch are back again this year. This is the female. It is surprising how early they began making plans. They actually started almost a month ago surveying last year's nest and discussing how they were going to fix up the digs. I wondered if they would use the same nest they built last year. The day before the snow, I watched the female out on the lawn selecting dead grass to build with. I'll have to sneak in and see if they are rehabbing the old one or building over it.

The male, shown here, doesn't do much in the way of helping except for encouraging her and pulling guard duty while she is working. One day recently, I saw him chasing another male. Last year there were two males involved with the female and that may still be true. I guess we'll find out as spring progresses.