Sounds like a house finch. The winter plumage of the Am. gold finch is more olive than browm with distinct black and white bars. Too, I currently have lots of gold finches and strangely enough, there is one already in full breeding plumage! Donna

This news about House Finches is incredible. I thought I knew a lot about my feeder birds but I truly forgot that HFs are so menacing. Sure is good to go through these older posts to learn new things. I had so many HFs this summer and it never occured to me they were the reason I had not much else. Thank you so much, hokle and other commenter above.

Interesting. I knew Brown headed cowbirds could not be raised by Goldfinches because they feed their young seeds, but I didn't know House Finches did also. I looked it up at Cornell's lab of ornithology, and they confirm what you have read. I guess that means you don't have to worry about the young House Finches. I've also read about retaliation from the Cowbirds, so I guess just leaving it there should protect the baby House Finches best.

Well these barn swallows have been re-furbishing this same nest on our porch year after year. There really is no other location on the porch or nearby that would be practical or safe for the swallows to nest. This southwestern corner is under the eaves above our steep staircase, high up and inaccessible to predators. I don't know for sure they are the *same* two swallows year after year, but there is only the one nest. Meanwhile Mrs Finch is sitting on the nest and occasionally perching on the edge to turn her eggs. I imagine Mr Finch takes over nest sitting duties, although I haven't witnessed the changing of the guards. I do see him sometimes land on the ledge and sometimes in the little crabapple tree nearby. It is totally strange to see the pair of barn swallows arriving at dusk to spend each night perched next to the nest. I wonder if one or both could be last year's barn swallow babies.