[cobirds] Re: id help please

apologies from forgetting protocol on postings wrt name and area

Ron Bolton, Berthoud

On Friday, March 21, 2014 1:14:18 PM UTC-6, ronbco wrote:

While on a chair lift at Copper Mtn, saw a small bird feeding on the top of a douglas fir tree at 11k elev.

Not sure if it was going for the fir cone seeds or maybe insects.

First impression was house finch by size, slim build, and pink/red breast and head.

But the color seemed more orange and the wings too uniformly black.

So I'm stumped on the following possibilities:

- red crossbill - I think I would have noticed the distinct beak, but whatbird says "smaller-billed birds favor spruce cones"

- pine grosbeak - my specimen seemed too small and slim

- brown-capped rosy-finch - there was no cap! it was uniform red/orange head and neck, and would it be eating on a cone-covered fir tree top?

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