>I was talking to a friend of mine this morning. He was sitting so that I
>could see the feeder out on the deck just beyond his head. There was the
>usual noise and bustle of chickadees, house finches and sparrows. Of course
>I very politely stopped him mid-sentence when the feeder flurry was joined by
>feathers that didn't fit in with the usual crowd.
>Please be patient with my excitement, but this is a bird I have never seen
>before at our feeder.......I guess most of you know how it is.
>Let me describe the bird and those of you who know more than I do can let me
>know if I'm on or off base.....
>What first caught my eye was the white of the underwing as it flew around the
>feeder. The head was white-ish with a red cap and some red streaking around
>the eye and neck. The chest and under the tail were also red. The breast
>was white-ish with brown streaking down the sides. The beak was light
>colored and finch-like........in fact my first thought was.....is that an
>albino finch?
>
>So, what do you think is this a common redpoll?
>
>Mary McCann

Mary, I'm not sure if your description matches a redpoll or not. How big
was it? A redpoll is a tiny bird, only 2/3 the size of a House Finch.
Does that describe your bird? I know of no small bird that matches your
description exactly, especially "under the tail also red." However, you
may well have seen a redpoll, as much about your description suggests one.
Care to elaborate?

Dennis Paulson, Director 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
web site: http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html