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House Finches are singing
By Larry Halverson
Friends of Kootenay
The songs of House Finches were not always heard in the Columbia Valley. In fact they were unknown in the province until 1935, when a pair of House Finches were reported nesting in Penticton.
By 1937 they had also arrived on the coast and were observed nesting in Victoria. From these two small pioneering populations the House Finch launched its rapid range expansion into British Columbia. By 1970 it had moved east into the Southern Interior Mountains and was recorded near Cranbrook.
House Finches first appeared on the Lake Windermere Christmas Bird Count in 1994 and now are common sightings at local bird feeders.
Above photo: Male House Finch can start nest building in early March – photo by Larry Halverson
