I needed a break from my desk and took an impromptu walk over to the UI
Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Moscow early this afternoon. There were
(finally) many birds in the crabapple area at the upper end, and I quickly
encountered a calling female PURPLE FINCH in the far NE side, feeding in
crab apples east of the trail and kiosk area. Unfortunately, I didn’t have
a real camera with me, but my notes (and a basically-useless cell phone
photo) can be seen in my eBird checklist (
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S41218621). Maybe I’ll get back in
there, with a better camera, in coming days. There were up to 200
waxwings, the most I’ve seen around Moscow this winter, dominated by Cedars
but including a couple dozen Bohemians.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID