January 15, 2023 Birds frenzy at the fountain and feeders this gusty, bruised-sky morning as another Pacific cold front shoulders in, carrying the promise of rain and snow to add to the year’s already impressive 1.59 inches of moisture. Clouds of tawny pine siskins descend in waves, scores of the nomadic and energetic finches mingling with the lesser goldfinches and even the occasional and rare American and Lawrence’s goldfinches among a dozen, lingering Cassin’s finches. It’s finches galore, and my efforts to count them fall short somewhere in the 60s. I’ve never seen so many in the yard all at one time, especially this “irruption” of siskins hailing from the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska.
I have my earliest Costa's ever. A male. Showed up on 1/14 and is still here on this snowy morning. Do you have Lawrence's? They are no-shows this year for us as well as Cassin's Finches.
I don’t think I’ve heard anybody talking about pine siskins around here this year. And I’m still blown away by the fact that hummingbirds can be in winter weather. Somehow in my head, they were only summer weather birds that went to South America when it got cold.
Is the “Lesser” Goldfinch named after somebody or an expression of relative position? If it’s the latter, we need a petition to change it. He’s gorgeous!
I have my earliest Costa's ever. A male. Showed up on 1/14 and is still here on this snowy morning. Do you have Lawrence's? They are no-shows this year for us as well as Cassin's Finches.
I don’t think I’ve heard anybody talking about pine siskins around here this year. And I’m still blown away by the fact that hummingbirds can be in winter weather. Somehow in my head, they were only summer weather birds that went to South America when it got cold.
Is the “Lesser” Goldfinch named after somebody or an expression of relative position? If it’s the latter, we need a petition to change it. He’s gorgeous!
Love the 17 pound sandwich simile!
Would you use a 3:1 water to sugar concentration for the hummers in colder weather, rather than the usual 4:1? Or?