Is it or ain't it? Z-Man, you got the eye of a hawk and patience of a saint. Lot's of birdies in the land of pasties this time of year.

Speaking of pasties, I hope Charlie gets the June delivery schedule put on soon, so we can plan ahead for Father's Day.

There was some question yesterday about the route to Nova Scotia. Of course, you've got to cross New Brunswick first, where I'll return for a stay next week. In the meantime, some island hopping out here in the Maritimes, known as "Atlantic Canada". Wasn't a very long ferry ride to Prince Edward Island, and the Islanders make you feel at home. But I understand the trip to Newfoundland takes half a day! The map on my travel page has been updated to include beyond the US borders. Wonder if any Newfees, Islanders, or Bluenosers ever tune into Pasty Cam?
Good night from out east and good morning from da U.P. trip notes

A fascinating photo. If it is a mirror reflection, the surface is seemless. The crumbs on the beak would suggest it is.

It's not a mirror image, the birds have different stances and the hanging pot is asymetric. What an eye the Z-Man has. A very amusing picture.

What a great picture.....two birds for sure though. Just look at the feet and tilt of the heads. I love this site!!

Have been checking this site out for several months....But I am still wondering, what is the deal with Toivo? Who is this illusive traveler? Why is he on such a road trip? What does he do to live in the U.P. yet have time and dollars to spend months on the road?

Love the site but Toivo has me puzzled??!?!

I would like to see this photograph make it to the WOW's. To get a mirror image that is in focus like this, to have the right speed setting, to have the aperture adjusted right and to have wildlife as the subject is quite a job. Congratulations on a photograph well done.
Regards,
Donn

Z-Man, loved the picture. The detail is great. My question, is this digital or film?? Nice job !!

Mr. Z-Man, this is indeed a delightful photo!

What kind of birds are they?

Karen, you are right, it is not a mirror image when you look closer. Here's a new theory: Did Z-Man have his tripod in just the right spot to take successive shots of the same bird, and overlay them in a double exposure?

C'mon, Z-Man, spill the beans.

kinda reminds me of that picture with those farmer dressed children captioned "been farmin' long?", except this one could be captioned "been wormin' long?"

They are finches - I forget the exact variety.
They are pretty common this time of year,
especially if you feed with sunflower seeds.

Indeed, they are finches. But, are they house finches or purple finches?

This was taken with a digital camera.
The beans will be spilled later today about 4:30.

Suspense! Fantastic shot!

those have been mounted by the taxidermist!

Looks like same bird, two photos with a nice stitch job. Sharper image on right half.

I would have to take issue with the WOW showing the eclipsed moon. It's a nice shot but I was hoping for a higher resolution image of the Houghton shot by Taka at http://www.pasty.com/discuss/messages/1779/2080.html. Any way we could get that one added to the WOW list?

Oh, and a request for some more shots from my ol' stomping grounds of Marquette and Harvey!

Thanks for a wonderful site!

Barry Seymour
Manhattan Beach, CA

Aren't they cute! They look like little Toika Birds.

Hey Barry Seymour!
Are you related to John Seymour of Marquette? Also... Those two pretty little birdies aren't House Finches, My guess is they are Purple Finches or Rosey Finches... House Finches have a red cap on their heads, but these birds have red all the way down their bodies... Great job Z!!

Hey they thats a picture of us!!

Yooper Joe!!!

You're right! But you're a messy eater. Just look at all the stuff on your beak! You're not getting any kisses with THAT mess!!

Smooches!

Jack from coeur d alene id reminded me of a joke I heard some time ago. The UP farmer was out ice fishing. He was doing real well as he had quite a pile of fish strewn around the ice.
A troll came up and asked "looks like you're doing real well, what are yu using for bail?" The farmer looked up at him and said "mmmnnnnooo" The troll told mim, "you don't have to worry, I wont tell anyone. The farmer once again said "mmmnnnnoo". The troll told him it meant so much to him he would pay the farmer $10.00 if he would tell him. At this point the farmer coughed a couple of times and spit a glob of something into his hand and said, worms, where's my ten dollars.

Toivo,
I spent about a year working in Newfoundland. Check out George Street in St. Johns. It's the Newfie version of Bourbon St. The Irish pub has great live music. The point above the harbor is worth the walk up from the Battery Hotel (great hotel, GREAT view) and Cape Spear is a must. I think Cape Spear is the Eastern most part of North America. Nautical Nellie's is a friendly place and the Marine institute North of Town has a giant squid in a glass tank. Must be 25 ft long and ugly as sin.

So,..... deciphering the message still did not yield the answer to who TOIVO really is. But, I was glad to have it confirmed that he is a nice guy with a sense of humor!!! Ha Ha to you too!

Cool and colorful picture. Been thinkin maybe Purple Finches. Maybe two pics together cause someplace in dusty recesses of my mind I'm maybe remembering the red purple finch is a male? Thinkin maybe two males wouldn't tolerate each other long enough for a picture. No matter what the answer, this picture is perty enuff for framin'!

House Finch are more common in the west and east but have been moving toward this area from the east. Purple Finch, which this one (or two) probably is, is more common around this area.

Purple Finch (male): dull rosy red, more raspberry than purple, especially on head and rump.
House Finch (male): streaked brown with bright red breast, forehead, eyebrow, and rump.

Spilling the beans:
This is two photo's of the "same" bird stitched together to make a pano. Shutter speed and aperature were set manually by me. Also shooting in macro-mode. Distance to subject 1 foot.
No tripod was used handheld. Thanks for the great comments. If you have not viewed some of my last years bird pictures they can be found at
www.pbase.com/z/zbird

They sure do look like house finches (males) to me. Non-native here in Illinois.

1 male purple finch.
(certifiably deduced with help from many Doc Watsons)
Good to see that ol' John J has found himself a feathered nest in Heaven.

Z-Man-

Great pic. What brand/model digital camera were you using?

I have an Olympus C-4040 camera and sometime use an Olympus B-300 1.7X tele convertor. Both have been updated to the C-5050 and the tcon17.

...a visiting bird expert from Quincy Hill agrees that the li'l critters are probably house finches or purple finches...

Clever stuff, Z-man! Holy Wah!!

And the Expert Z-Man says the birds are purple finches. Great words and opinions for the day. Thank you all!!!

Hey, missin' the UP from NJ... Where in Jersey are you from?

The bridge view is so pretty today, makes me so lonesome for home!! No rain here today and the sun is actually shining. What a treat!

Hey Alex, We think we are going to live. That was some bug!

Computers in our cameras and desktops are really something. I expect that the ZMan will be surprising us all with creative composures with the camera and computer in the future. He is a real go getter with what he sets his mind to. I got to meet him yesterday and it was indeed a pleasure. Technology sure has come a long way since I was first introduced to computers in 1970 in high school.
Regards,
Donn

NICE PICTURE

ALSO I THINK THESE ARE JUST LIKE THE MOSQUITOS I HAVE SEEN IN DA UP