ID Requested

This bird turned up at my bird feeder around the first of November and stayed several weeks until the first snowfall. I live about 60 miles east of Saint Paul Mn. At first I thought it was one of the many American Goldfinches at the feeder but upon closer inspection it was not. It was about the same size as a goldfinch but had a more compact and plump body.

Thanks in advance

Another view.

Pine Warbler. They occasionally turn up on Christmas Bird Counts in the northeast at feeders as you describe.

Phil, if you look at the bill it is relatively thin and pointed, in contrast to the chunky, seed-crackingbill of a finch. The shape of a bird's bill tells you a lot about what it eats, which can really help in IDing the bird. Plus, Warblers have "foreheads," and Goldfinches generally make a straight line from the crown of the head to the tip of the bill.

Confusingly, though, Pine Warblers do eat a lot of seeds, including feeder seed, making them fairly unusual among the wood warblers. Nice photos, by the way.