For the Birds

I should preface this by citing the Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, which informed me that the bird I saw was a male House Finch, not a Purple Finch, even though the color on my specimen is much more striking than the artistic rendering in the book or the photos I've seen online.

Two or three weeks ago, one of the computer techs asked me what was eating irregular holes in her mint leaves, particularly if birds would do it. I told her insects do but that birds usually prefer to peck at various fruits.

Of course, that evening I watched a house finch land on my arugula plant (which had already bolted) and peck at one of the leaves, finally tearing off a small piece and flying away with it. So much for Captain Chlorophyll's authoritative horticultural advice.

Yesterday afternoon, I saw a male house finch (probably the same one as before) land again on one of the arugula's flower stalks, and peck at the maturing fruit (seed pods). He did get the insides of some of them (presumably for the seeds), and dropped only two pieces on the veranda.

Later on, he returned to share my bountiful crop with four female finches! One of the online articles says house finches are monogamous, so maybe it was his wife, mother-in-law, and two sisters-in-law. (I wonder if he feels henpecked.)