Rfalconcam Forum

At the beginning of this month I had posted photos I took at DeKorte Park in the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst NJ.  My friend who I was birding with that day took the photo to the naturalist at the center. It turns out this bird was not a confusing Fall warbler as we all thought but a Saffron Finch!!
This bird was most likely caged and either released there or escaped as this species is not from this area at all.  There was also a story about it in the Bergen County newspaper...my friend has saved me a copy and will give it to me on Sunday.
The information below is taken from Wikipedia....

The Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola) is a tanager from South America and is common in both open and semi-open areas in lowlands outside the Amazon Basin. They have a wide distribution in Colombia, Venezuela (where it is called "canario de tejado" or "roof canary"), Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Argentina. Formerly, it was placed in the Emberizidae but it is close to the seedeaters.

The male is bright yellow with an orange crown which distinguishes it from other yellow finches in the continent. The females are more confusing as they can sometimes be just a duller version of the male but some sub-species such as, S. f. pelzelni, are olive-brown with heavy dark streaks.

They nest in cavities and make use of sites such as abandoned Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus) nests, bamboo branches and under house roofs - this species is tolerant of human proximity, appearing at suburban areas and frequenting bird tables. They have a pleasant but repetitious song which, combined with their appearance, has led to them being kept as caged birds in many areas. Males are polygamous, mating with two females during the nesting season, and territorial, which has led to the species being used for blood sporting with two males put in a cage in order to fight.

poor little guy will he be able to make it over the winter?

No that's the problem...he is too tame and doesn't really know how to fend for himself.  :'(
I am surprised that he is still there because that place is a haven for red tail hawks....