On Friday 20 February 2009 01:22:22 notcalm at comcast.net wrote:
...
> I was startled to find what appears to be a a Bi-colored, male House Finch,
> among a group of ten Reds, near our home and feeders on MI. Bright yellow
> rump, orange supercilium ?and supraloral with yellow and? orange ?on

The coloration of the House Finch is the result of diet:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/HoufinColorVariants.htm

About fifteen years ago we started putting nyjer (Guizotia abyssinica; common
name was niger back then) in our feeders. Have rarely seen an orange or
yellow House Finch since.

> Also, is it common for Varied Thrushes to sometimes ground feed as small
> groups of 8- 10 in winter?

I've seen as many as six Varied Thrushes spread themselves out along a hundred
foot verge but never group.

I also find it curious that if the Varied Thrushes stick around this summer it
will be three years we've had them year-round. They seem to call more in the
mid to late summer so it's like having a pack of kids that just dug out the
three-note whistle from their boxes of Captain Crunch. (Do they still put
prizes in cereal boxes or is that considered a choking hazard now?)

--
Bruce McKenzie
bmsh.mckenzie at gte.net
Kenmore, WA USA