Blowing a raspberry

I had one of "those" days where I just couldn't decide what to blip. The morning started with a visit from His Royal Redness (Northern Cardinal) followed by an unprecedented visit by a pack of thirsty Starlings followed by the usual assortment of winged creatures. Took a few odd shots of the juncos, titmice and chickadees, but nothing was ringing the bell for me. So, I tackled some paperwork, and waited for an inspiration.

And, when I looked out the window, there was this single house finch with a color mutation! Yippee! The male house finches are heavily hued in red about their head and breast and the base of their tales. In our part of the country, about 5% of the finch population carries a color mutation that causes the head and neck to be orange or yellow. This is only the second color mutation I've seen so he really caught my attention. I fired off a bunch of shots through the window (yes, after belly crawling closer, camera clutched in my sweaty palm), hoping for something good. This was certainly not the best shot technically, but I loved the way his pink tongue was on full display. It was so quick that I didn't even see it when he did it, so viewing the images and finding this was a total surprise. Hope you enjoy him.

I have decided not to send Christmas cards this year. Having made the decision, I feel quite relieved, and a touch guilty. Apparently, my husband's Italian-ness has rubbed off on me in terms of the guilt. Hmph.

Thanks for all the comments on my crazy blue jay yesterday. They are totally entertaining birds!