Morning all,

 Nothing much new around the yard this morning, but still hosting a pair of PINE SISKINS at the thistle feeders , and at least a pair of brown Purple Finches at the sunflower feeders (got photos of both). One of the PUFIs is suffused very heavily with a yellow wash beneath the streaking, under the supercillium, as well as along the sides of the breast and near the tail, a coloration I've never seen. The other is more normally colored, which makes it easy to differentiate the two. As I was sitting out on the deck shortly before 9 AM with my coffee and binoculars, some bird gave a two-note alarm call (perhaps a mocker or Blue Jay), followed immediately by the scattering of all the birds at the feeders. I looked up to see an immature (heavily checkered below) MERLIN fly over the yard, coming directly towards me, then over the house and into the neighbors fields. Cool! 

An immature White-crowned Sparrow is hanging out on the ground below the feeders too, as was a single White-throated Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Chickadees were of the Carolina type. Bluebirds are back in the yard, and a good sized flock of Cedar Waxwings was  in the bradford pears.

Rick Sussman
Woodbine,MD