If you go up the Manastash Canyon Road (starts in the lowlands southwest of
Ellensburg), watch for the end of the paved road. There's a little ranch
on the left (the last house on the left as you go up the canyon) with a
dirt road going off just before it. At that junction there are very
commonly mixed flocks of these two finches feeding, drinking, or
dustbathing. Almost every time I've seen them both species were present,
Cassin's predominating. Last summer I got a dream photo of a male of each
species next to each other. Maybe this year the females will cooperate.

By the way, Roger, from our collection I would say that female Purple
Finches from the west side often have sparse or occasional streaks on the
undertail coverts; I doubt if that's a sign of a hybrid. Wing shape should
be a good way to distinguish them in the hand, Cassin's having relatively
longer outer primaries than Purple as well as a longer wing measurement.

Dennis Paulson phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416