Jeff Nicol reports: "I photographed this bird Sunday just outside of the gate to the Marsh Discovery Trail.
"When I first saw the Yellow flash into the tree, I thought Yellow Warbler, but this is not a Yellow Warbler.
"This was much larger (a bit larger than a Parakeet, which I also saw in the same area) and it had a redish-orange color on the top of its head.
"Could this be yet another escaped/released pet of some sort?" (Thanks, Jeff.)
We are thinking that this another escaped/released pet. Can anyone tell us what kind of bird it is? We will be posting more about this problem in the coming weeks.
I believe it’s a saffron finch… I saw it on Sunday after the walk, hanging out with house sparrows across from the MEC. In early spring, there was a pair hanging out a few blocks away from DeKorte on residential streets and I got a photo and put out a call to the community for help in IDing.
Additionally, it may have been around a bit longer than just this weekend. I wonder if it may have even appeared on this blog under the guise of a yellow warbler?
Thanks, Julie. You are right! I wonder how long it has been hanging around the area.
I met a little girl about ten years old on the Discovery Trail on Monday who also correctly identified this bird. Apparently, she had one as a pet at some time in the past, and knew what it was the minute she saw it.
Yes, it’s a saffron finch. Just saw a bunch of them recently in Maui. Common cage bird with those folks who also keep canaries.
I wonder if this is the bird I saw on Tuesday? I saw mostly a bright flash of yellow too and thought “yellow warbler”. An escaped/released pet never crossed my mind – though I remember having a canary escape when I was a kid, and though we tried and tried to lure him home he wouldn’t come and eventually flew off and vanished. I sobbed for days. 🙂