It’s that time of year again. Fall migration is essentially over and, while we’ll miss most of the colorful bird species we enjoy in the spring and summer, there are a few arriving from northern latitudes and the boreal (northern) forest. These birds ought to get our attention and hold our interest for much of the winter.
Cone crops of several coniferous species which include pine, spruce, fir, and tamarack are generally very good in western North America. White birch and mountain ash crops are also very good in the western regions. This will keep some species of northern finches out of our area. Some areas were affected by spruce budworms and tent caterpillars and those locations will have poor crops. Birds are moving out of those locations. The white pine cone crop that produced a major irruption of Red Crossbills last year is poor to absent this year.
Purple Finches usually move south each winter. A moderate flight of them has already been occurring since early fall. The Purple Finch is a species that nests in Pennsylvania. Males are washed in a colorful raspberry red and females are brown-streaked with a heavy face pattern. Their favorite food at feeders are black oil sunflower seeds.
Image: Purple Finch. Photo by Wayne Laubscher.
A small flight Pine Siskins will occur south out of those areas that were affected by the aforementioned insect infestations. They are brown, usually with heavy streaking and some yellow in the tail and wings. They eat nyjer (thistle) seeds and black oil sunflower seeds in tube and sock feeders. Pine Siskins have been known to nest in Pennsylvania during irruption years.
Image: Pine Siskins at a bird feeder. Photo by Wayne Laubscher.
That big, colorful, noisy, and very hungry finch that bird watchers never tire of, the Evening Grosbeak, is returning to our region. Good crops of berries in the northern forests supported a good nesting season of Evening Grosbeaks. These crops, having been consumed by late summer, have resulted in a moderate flight occurring now. Males are gold and black with white wing patches and the females are gray and black also with white wing patches. They feed on large amounts of black oil sunflower seed at platform feeders.
Image: Evening Grosbeak. Photo by Wayne Laubscher.
There are two additional non finch species making a good showing this fall and winter. They are included in the annual finch forecast. The first is a very familiar bird in our area year-round. It is the unmistakable Blue Jay. A heavy flight of them is expected in their search for food.
Second, Red-breasted Nuthatches are coming through due to a lack of fir cone crops in some areas. They will be found in conifer stands. They have a black eye stripe with a white eyebrow and are bluish gray on the back with an orange underside. Their call sounds like a little tin horn.
Image: Red-breasted Nuthatch at a bird feeder. Photo by Wayne Laubscher.
Keep your feeders filled and hopefully these feathered visitors will help do away with the winter doldrums.
Thanks and acknowledgments to forecaster Tyler Hoar and the Finch Research Network. Go to finchnetwork.org for more information.
Wayne Laubscher recently retired from the Centre County Planning Office as Mosquito Disease Control Coordinator for Centre, Clinton, and Clearfield Counties. He is the Clinton Co. compiler for the PA Birds publication, a member of the Lycoming Audubon Society board and a board member of the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology. He is a native of the Lock Haven region, residing in Swissdale.
BIRD LORE is produced by the Lycoming Audubon Society (serving Lycoming and Clinton Counties), Seven Mountains Audubon (serving Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour and Columbia Counties) and Tiadaghton Audubon Society (serving Tioga and Potter Counties). Information about these National Audubon Society chapters can be found at http://lycomingaudubon.
Author: Guest Contributor
The Pennsylvania Wilds is home to more than 2 million acres of public land, 50 state game lands, 29 state parks, 8 state forests, 2 National Wild & Scenic Rivers, abundant wildlife, hundreds of miles of land and water trails, some of the darkest skies in the country, and the largest elk herd in the northeast.
The PA Wilds team is grateful to share the many stories of this region through the words and images of our talented guest contributors.