Oct 24

Goldfinch or Siskin?

By Brian Cunningham American Goldfinches, Bird ID, Bird Irruption, Birds, Pine Siskin, Winter Finch Irruption Leave a Comment »
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Every few years there is an irruption of Pine Siskin out of the Northern Boreal Forests due to a lack of natural foods. This winter is shaping up to be a great year to see Pine Siskin at backyard feeders.

Often feeding with American Goldfinches, siskin are quite attracted to finch feeders that offer Nyjer®. They can also be seen eating sunflower chips from other feeders and, as finches do, drinking from birdbaths.

Pine Siskin, at first glance, are often assumed to be American Goldfinches when visiting feeders in winter. And for good reason. They are the same size and have similar winter color patterns. However, take a closer look and you can tell them apart. Here are some identification clues for quickly telling if there are any Pine Siskin on your feeder.

Pine Siskin

  • Heavily streaked head and body
  • Yellow or buff in the wing bars, wings, and base of tail
  • Thinner, more sharply pointed bill than goldfinch

American Goldfinch

  • No streaking
  • White or buff in the wing bars
  • White rump or base of tail

Check out the photo below. Can you spot any Pine Siskin?

American Goldfinch (top left)
Pine Siskin (lower three perches)

Top photo: Pine Siskin (left), American Goldfinch (right)
Photos by Nancy Castillo (co-owner Saratoga Springs, NY WBU store)

Click here to see where Pine Siskin are being spotted this season via eBird.org. It is an interactive map where you can zoom in, change dates and more.

Do you have Pine Siskin at your feeders?

 

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Jan 14

Where are the Winter Finches?

By Brian Cunningham Birds, Common Redpolls, Events, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, Uncategorized, Winter Finch Irruption Leave a Comment »
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So where are the irruptive winter finches showing up? Check out the current www.eBird.org map sightings. Maybe they’re in your neighborhood.

Click here to find where Pine Siskin are being seen. Also, check out the More Than We Thought post where you can learn some identification clues for quickly telling if there are Pine Siskin on your feeder.

Click here to see Common Redpolls’ strong movement into the Northeast, Great Lakes, Seattle areas and other isolated pockets.

Click here to see Purple Finch throughout the East, West coast states and other areas. Be careful with your ID. Purple, House and Cassin’s Finches can be challenging to tell apart. Check out this great tricky finch identification resource from Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch.

Jan 12

Bark Butter Entices Irruption?

By Brian Cunningham Birds, Common Redpolls, Events, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, Winter Finch Irruption 5 Comments »
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Photo courtesy Nancy Castillo, co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited Saratoga Springs, NY

Every year, the birding community looks forward to the Winter Finch Forecast. It is a scientific prediction / educated guess of the irruption (mass movement of birds looking for food) out of the Northern Boreal Forests. This year it looked liked Pine Siskin would not irrupt south.

Well, word must have spread to the Northern Boreal Forests about Jim’s Birdacious Bark Butter! We are getting reports of Pine Siskin and other irruptive winter finches visiting backyard feeders and enjoying this unique, tasty energy-treat.

I have been officially tracking the number of species attracted to Bark Butter since its public debut in 2008. I am excited that Pine Siskin are the newest addition as the 107th bird species added to the Bark Butter Bird List.

What’s even more exciting is that we have added three winter finches to the list this year: Common Redpoll, Purple Finch and Pine Siskin.

Bark Butter may not really be the reason Pine Siskins decided to irrupt; but, they are fun to have at your feeders. Who’s eating Bark Butter in your yard?

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