Definitely No Siskins

I may be testing fate, but I am now prepared to believe we will be Siskin-free this winter.  The irruption of 2012-13 has not been repeated, and I have seen no Siskins whatever at the feeders.  This is no surprise as the Siskins are most irregular in these parts and have only visited, I believe, three times in the past eight years.  In some ways, this is good news.  I learned last winter that it is easy to attract a great number of Siskins, which are as voracious a species of seed eater as I could imagine.  And I didn't imagine the 52 Siskins I counted during the Great Backyard Bird Count!  So my budget is unstrained and the only piggies at the trough are the predictable House Finches.  That seems fine this time out.  Maybe next year?

How Bad Up North?

As winter storm after winter storm sweeps across the North, and as signs abound of some mighty cold conditions thataways, I find myself wondering if some of the irruptive birds will be found down here this winter.  In fact, there are reports of a Snowy Owl in the western part of the state.  But around here I have been roundly disappointed.  No Red Breasted Nuthatches.  No Purple Finches.  Not even the bane of my last year, these charming Pine Siskins.  None of the winter oddities at all.  But you say, perhaps they have not found you yet!  And that's a real concern.  The roughest months are ahead.  And the Siskins did pile up after the first of the year.  Is it that bad up north?  will I have some special visitors?  We shall see.

Feathery Plague

I am plagued.  And it may be bad.  All of a sudden, during the weekend cold snap (into 40s overnight) the seed feeders started draining quickly, again.  I had enjoyed the luxury of gradual consumption for a few weeks.  Today I discovered the culprit: about a dozen Pine Siskins.  Good gracious! hadn't they migrated yet? Truly it was a disappointment that these pint-sized gluttons had turned up in the area.  Perhaps they are migrants blowing through: and in fact there have been stiff north to northeast winds which could be inhibiting migration north.  But it's horrifying to the seed budget all the same.  So, begone little piggies!  I would very much like this winter plague to be past.  See you....later!

Being An Outlier

I had the opportunity to be a dratted outlier today.  For this was the day I uploaded my 11 lists from last weekend's Great Backyard Bird Count.  And the 8AM Sunday morning count of Pine Siskins (I tallied 52) was deemed "excessive" by the automated monitor.  So until a human moderator reads my comments, perhaps views my data, that data point has been excluded from the corpus of 2013 today.  Well, I know what I saw.  Those little speckled brown birds with yellow wing flashes could be nothing else.  I had no problem separating out the larger House Finches and the yellower goldfinches.  And it was a cold, icy morning.  For whatever reason I was attracting significant numbers of siskins that weekend.  I can explain this in that the siskins are, I think, gathering together in advance of migration.  And I had the best, easy food source in the area.  We'll see if Cornell Lab of Ornithology approves my checklist as submitted.  For me, it was enough to experience what could be a once-in-a-very-long-time moment.

Time For an Exorcism

The data from the Great Backyard Bird Count didn't alert me to a problem.  They only demonstrated the problem was worse than I ever imagined.  Put it this way: of 238 birds I counted across the weekend, fully 70% were from just three species: Red Winged Blackbirds, Pine Siskins, and House Finches.  And I already knew that between 1# and 3# of seed were going out the door each day.  It is time for the craziness to end!  And thus, bird count behind me, I shut down the feeders.  Well, actually let them empty.  And empty they will stand for some time between one and three weeks to discourage the pests.  I would describe it even as an exorcism: the blackbirds have become the spawn of Satan in my eyes!  This is a risky strategy: there is the furry gray menace, who may start attacking quarters hitherto left alone.  And I may pick up where I left off if these birds maintain a patrol each day watching for a renewal of the handout.  But it must be done.  I can only guess how long this will take.  Wish me luck!

GBBC: Day Two

The Great Backyard Bird Count continues!  And thanks to a surprise Dixie Snowfall (it started snowing 9:30 AM and hasn't quit yet) I contented myself to monitor the birds through the day, and counted in four separate half hour shifts (8AM, 11AM, 2PM, and 4PM).  The overall species count for the weekend now stands at 26 as I picked up 11 not seen Friday.  In fact, I picked up a yard life lister in the form of a Fox Sparrow in the early afternoon!  Others that decided to show up included the Pine Siskins, goldfinches, the Hermit Thrush, White- and Red-Breasted Nuthatches, towhees, bluebirds, Brown Thrasher, and Blue Jay.  I did not see a massive Red Winged Blackbird attack like yesterday's, and saw at most 15 birds.  But the Siskins...(!)  At one point I counted no less than 47 birds...and I suspected there were more either just out of sight or which I could not identify.  The photo shows some of them mixed with odd goldfinches.  But that was all in all the most siskins I have seen in my life...and this an irruptive winter species in these parts!  So I will conduct more counts tomorrow.  And I am still looking for a few species that I should see, among them, the flickers, Pine Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Northern Mockingbird, and Ruby Crowned Kinglet.  And Crows? and who knows what else.  All is looking fine!

The Right Address Today

Our home was definitely the right address today for neighborhood songbirds.  It was an unusually crummy winter day for the central Piedmont with a high of 26F and a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain.  The birds were hungry and active all day, and from long experience they know they can depend on a meal here.  And my well-stocked feeders attracted crowds.  The scratching ground was like a bus station!  At one point I counted 26 birds; mostly juncos and Pine Siskins but also with cardinals, goldfinches, White Throated Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, and towhees thrown in.  The various nuthatches, chickadees, and such worked the suet feeders hard.  And I even noticed birds out past sunset in a last desperate effort to load food before a raw night under the ice.  I made sure to top of feeders so that the morning rush would be able to warm up on a good meal, and I checked the deicers to ensure liquid water was also on the menu.  After all, I want my address to remain the dining spot of choice!

A Christmas Gift: Lots More Siskins!

The last time I made a concerted effort to count irruptive Pine Siskins, I found two.  Or at least, a maximum of two at one time.  It seems a Christmas gift of sorts was made in the interim.  I spotted half a dozen while watching affairs from the sunroom today.  The little piggie Siskins were doing a number on the sunflower stock.  But they are a delight to watch all the same, and more ruly than the constantly fighting House Finches.  What a gift!  I hope I may appreciate it the rest of the winter!  Happy Christmas to all!  And to all...good birding!

Siskins Staying Busy

This year has seen an irruption of Pine Siskins, normally a bird of places to the north in winter.  I've experienced one recent major irruption (in 2008-09), but only a scattering otherwise, and none at last year.  But they are back again even if in limited numbers.  At most I have observed two birds at one time and they're working around the various feeders.  On this day one bird was showing interest in safflower seed and seemed to be using the suet basket as a resting or staging point.  At least I doubt the bird wanted suet!  So they keep busy, and keep me busy watching...

Looks Like Siskins

Winter's species count just went up by one!  Recent BirdCam photography at the sunflower MegaTube conclusively shows up evidence of Pine Siskins among the House Finch "rabble".  That yellow tint on the wing feathers and the smaller, pointier bill are distinctive.  This arrival coincides with a pretty rapid uptake on sunflower seed consumption in the past week.  Hmmm.  I can only wonder...!  This species is attractive to watch, but at the same aggravating for aggressiveness and appetite.  Well, hey, at least the squirrels aren't getting that seed!  Welcome to our place, siskins!

And What About Siskins?

With the irruption of Red Breasted Nuthatches into the Piedmont this winter, my thoughts turned quickly to the prospect for other irregular winter backyard birds.  The top prospect would be the Pine Siskin.  We've seen them a bit more often than the RBNs in recent years, with my last sighting in February 2011.  The siskins are certainly interesting and entertaining, although they are highly aggressive toward other feeder birds and eat like there's no tomorrow!  So perhaps I need to restrain the wonder on a budgetary basis?  I am watching intently to see if anything new comes along in the coming weeks.  And if not siskins, what?