While taking my usual morning stroll at the Upper Spawning Channel (while on a Lillooet road trip) I came across this little fellow. Initially I thought it was just a sparrow but then his red crown caught my eye. It wasn’t until I reviewed my pictures that I was able to id him. While the House Finch and Purple finch both have that red/rosy pink colouration, the House and Purple’s colouration is more throughout the body, while the Cassin’s has quite a dark red crown with little bits of the rosy colouration on his head and chest. The beak of the Cassin’s is also a little larger than the other finches. The other distinguishing feature of the Cassin’s finch is it’s white-eye ring.
I also reaffirmed through looking at e-Bird that this bird has been spotted this year at this location. According to the distribution map this little bird likes to hang out around the Rocky Mountain Range. There weren’t that many sightings recorded in this neck of the woods, so it would seem I was pretty lucky to see it. I always get a little thrill when I id a new bird! I’ve seen the redish House Finch before but this Cassin’s was Lifer for me! 🙂
BCSONGBIRD 