Redpoll Rarities!

I haven't been out birding much lately since I've just been super busy. But YAY for some free time and DOUBLE-YAY for daylight savings. The opportunity to get a little bit of birding in after work is about to become feasible.

Before I get to that though, check out what Matt saw yesterday at Hilda. Lucky guy gets March Break off and actually went out birding by himself. Wouldn't I love to be birding instead of at the office!
Looks like a leucistic common redpoll to me. Go figure, the day after I go, he sees this. Hardly fair!

Anyways, so the day before Matt saw this, I thought I'd try again for a hoary at Hilda. I think I might have seen one and here are a few pics. Luckily he did a 360 for me while I snapped away. He clearly has a white rump, but is it white...enough?

Also, his poll is more orange than red. Hmm. Thoughts?

There were, I don't know, hundreds of commons at the feeders. But they are so fidgety and fly off at the smallest breath of wind!

I love the little stripe down the middle of their beak:

They are so cute!