Greensboro Birds

This is a pair of House Finches that frequents my feeder. I’ve had a soft spot for House Finches ever since we lived in an apartment with a tiny yard-like space. At that place, a male House Finch we called Head hung around all summer. (His head had been injured slightly, leaving a bit of a bald scar, hence the name.)

Many times I would sit outside beneath a tree. Head would be sitting above me on a branch (I stayed a little to one side, though, to avoid receiving “gifts” on my person). Head would sing. I would try to repeat his song. We’d go back and forth like this for ages, all the while Head peering down at me with his scrappy noggin tilted to one side, as if he were trying to figure out my weird finch language. At those times it felt like we were a million miles away from Brooklyn.

These two finches hang out all the time, rain or shine, hot or cold, singing a song similar to Head’s. To me, House Finches often look like they’re thinking about something slightly funny. In these photos, however, they look a little far-off and dreamy, as if they’re thinking of spring. I know I am.