PURPLE FINCH, THORNHILL, ON

   Just outside the house these Purple Finches' have a nest high in an evergreen tree.  We see them coming and going.  The first photo is of a male, the second of a male and female together and the third of a female.

   We identified these as Purple Finches (vs. House Finch, which is similar) as follows:

• Conical bill, rather than bill with curved culmen of the House Finch
• Female has deeply notched tail vs. slightly notched tail of House Finch
• Female has brown and white pattern on head, rather than plain head of House Finch
• Female has white undertail, rather than tall dark streaks of House Finch

   The purple Finch is a new species for our Life List, which now stands at 141.