The arrival of finches from the north has always been an event that birders here in Maine and New England have looked forward to during the cold of winter. Common redpolls and the much rarer hoary redpolls, pine siskins, evening grosbeaks, pine.
The arrival of finches from the north has always been an event that birders here in Maine and New England have looked forward to during the cold of winter. Common redpolls and the much rarer hoary redpolls, pine siskins, evening grosbeaks, pine.
If you feed the birds during the winter, you may notice some differences in the species visiting the feeders from year to year. Some species, such as chickadees, are consistent visitors. But other species, such as siskins, seem to vary considerably and during some years they seem to show up en masse, indicating some sort of invasion or "irruption" meaning a sudden change in the population density.
What a difference a cold front can make – as I write this, it finally feels appropriate to discuss winter birds. One particular group of winter birds is as unpredictable as New England weather, and equally fun to discuss – it’s the winter finches.