Our introduction to finches started with the House Finch. I still remember my first one because I mistook it for a female Cardinal back in 2001 just as we were about to leave for Potsdam and Denise's graduation. At the time, I had no idea what a female Cardinal looked like, but I'd just been watching a male Cardinal calling incessantly and the male House Finch came along and seemed to be replying. It would have been embarrassing to have published that mistake.