As a wildlife photographer I travel extensively throughout the United States. I consider it a major perk of the job. I am fortunate enough to see some of the most beautiful places at the best times of the year. For example, I am writing from Tucson Arizona right now. It’s a wonderful desert city surrounded by snow capped mountains reaching 9,000 feet elevation.
Each region has it own unique mammals, wildflowers and birds. Some of the unique animals of this region are the Harris’ Antelope Squirrel and the Rock Squirrel. They would be similar to the Eastern Chipmunk and the Eastern Gray Squirrel. However there are some animals that are more familiar such as the Bobcat. Bobcats are very common in Southeastern Arizona. In fact, the other day at ten o’clock in the morning our small dog went to the back door and started to growl. Growling is something our little dog doesn’t do much so I went to investigate. I slide the screen door open and our dog ran out into the backyard. Right then a Bobcat sprang from a small bush and jumped up onto the wall surrounding the yard. It turned to look at my dog and me before fleeing into the desert beyond our yard. How exciting. I only wish I had my camera.
One of the most common birds in the desert southwest is the House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). You may be familiar with this backyard bird in the northland, however it is not a native bird of the northern or eastern states. No, it is a relatively recent addition to our backyards.
House Finches are sparrow-sized birds. The males are brown and white with a orange to red wash on its head, chest and rump. It has brown streaks on its white chest and flanks. The females are brown with a heavily streaked chest and sides.
The historic range of the House Finch was the western half of the country. In the early 1900’s the birds were trapped and sold as a caged birds. The males beautiful red color and sweet warbling song made them highly desirable in the pet trade. Eventually laws were passed that made trapping and selling native wild birds illegal. Many birds were released on the east coast and a small population of House Finches became established on Long Island, New York in the 1940’s. It is believed that this population of birds is the origin of all the birds in the eastern half of the country today.
By the 1970’s the House Finch invasion was well underway with populations extending across the Ohio Valley. By the 1980,s the westward march of the House Finch had reached Illinois. By the early 1990’s they had reached Minnesota and the Dakotas and started to meet up with the original western population.
Currently, House Finches now extend all across the US. Clearly this is an example of a bird that has benefited greatly from human meddling.
House finches tend to be early nesters, with nesting activity beginning in late March and early April in most of the country. Females nest more than once a year, some re-nest even before the first broods are fledged. The species uses a wide variety of nesting sites, but seems to prefer hanging flower planters for some crazy reason. However before the advent of hanging planters they used coniferous trees. If you do get a pair of House Finches nesting in your hanging flower basket, don’t worry. Just be sure not to soak the nest when you water your flowers and they will do just fine.
Females do most of the nest building and all of the incubating, although the male does bring her food. If he does not bring enough food, the female may abandon the nest. The young develop rapidly and leave the nest after about two weeks.
So there you have it. A little bit of the western states right in your own back yard. Until Next time…