{"id":14894,"date":"2020-11-10T13:26:05","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T18:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14894"},"modified":"2020-11-10T13:28:33","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T18:28:33","slug":"siskins-and-grosbeaks-and-purple-finches-oh-my","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/siskins-and-grosbeaks-and-purple-finches-oh-my\/","title":{"rendered":"Siskins and Grosbeaks and Purple Finches, Oh My!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most bird species overwinter in the same general area from year to year. Not so with some finches. Around eight species of winter finch become nomadic in winter, sometimes crossing the continent in search of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One reason these birds don\u2019t stick to an annual pattern is the annually shifting availability of their favorite foods. If conifer seeds and mountain-ash berries are abundant in Canada, winter finches stay put on their northern breeding grounds. In less fruitful years, they head off in search of their next meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biologists and birders in Canada who keep track of seed availability are forecasting<\/a> that this will be a good year for finch movements. Here\u2019s what to look for this winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purple Finches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Purple
Purple Finches have more extensive color and a different shape than similar House Finches.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Purple Finches had a great breeding season in Canada, in part due to an outbreak of spruce budworm, their go-to summer food. But the new hordes of yearling birds will need more seeds and berries than what\u2019s available this winter in the north, and we\u2019re already seeing a big movement of them in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At feeders, Purple Finches love to eat safflower seed, but they\u2019ll also stop for black-oil sunflower and thistle seed. Unlike the similar-looking House Finch, Purple Finches have a reddish wash that extends all the way down their wings and back, and a thicker bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pine Siskins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Pine
Pine Siskin \u00a9 Terri Nicker\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Siskins are the stars of the show so far this year. Pine Siskins have arrived early in Massachusetts in spectacular numbers (with some observers recording overhead movements of more than 2,000<\/a>!) At feeders, these finches don\u2019t stop for much other than thistle seed, or other seeds small enough for their narrow bills.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evening Grosbeaks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Evening
Evening Grosbeak \u00a9 Jim Renault<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These bold-colored finches last irrupted<\/a> into Massachusetts in 2018, a bit more recently than the other two finches on this list. Major irruption years were infrequent in the 1980s through 2000s, so it\u2019s a pleasant surprise to see these birds again just two years after their last big movement through the region. At feeders, these thick-billed birds prefer larger seeds, like black-oil sunflower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus species: Red-breasted Nuthatches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Red-breasted
Red-breasted Nuthatch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While not technically a finch, this species is nearly as nomadic. Red-breasted Nuthatches are year-round residents in high-elevation coniferous forests, and normally, they only visit the rest of the state in winter. But this summer and fall saw several big pushes of Red-breasted Nuthatch into Eastern Mass as well, and it\u2019s a real possibility that they\u2019ll continue through the winter in great numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these species have arrived earlier than in most irruption years. That leads to a question of whether or not they\u2019ll persist all winter in Massachusetts. It\u2019s possible that these birds are mostly transients on their way even farther south: feeder-watchers are reporting that flocks of winter finches are showing up for a day and leaving, and grosbeaks and siskins have already been reported as far south as the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a great winter to hang up some feeders<\/a> and see what happens!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most bird species overwinter in the same general area from year to year. Not so with some finches. Around eight species of winter finch become nomadic in winter, sometimes crossing the continent in search of food. One reason these birds don\u2019t stick to an annual pattern is the annually shifting availability of their favorite foods. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":14900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-14894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-birds"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/2664Terri_Nickerson20176.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3Se","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12007,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/an-epic-winter-for-nomadic-finches\/","url_meta":{"origin":14894,"position":0},"title":"An Epic Winter For Nomadic Finches","author":"William Freedberg","date":"December 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Every few winters, several bird species abandon their normal wintering areas to our northwest, and move into Massachusetts by the thousands. While distantly related, redpolls, siskins, and grosbeaks all rely on food sources that go through boom and bust cycles, peaking and crashing every 3-6 years. When conifer and birch\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Evening Grosbeak \u00a9 MDF (CC BY-SA 3.0)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/Coccothraustes-vespertinus-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/Coccothraustes-vespertinus-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/Coccothraustes-vespertinus-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/Coccothraustes-vespertinus-001.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/Coccothraustes-vespertinus-001.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1154,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/birding-after-migration\/","url_meta":{"origin":14894,"position":1},"title":"Birding After Migration","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"November 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"We have turned the seasonal corner. The swallows are gone, the egrets have fled, and \u00a0shorebirds and warblers have pushed their way south. You may well ask, \u201cWhat do we do we look for now?\u201d In many ways, Massachusetts is perfectly suited for winter birding, thanks in part to our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/11\/purple-sandpiper_Richard-Johnson-and-Mass-Audubon.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10370,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-winter-feeder-frenzy\/","url_meta":{"origin":14894,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Winter Feeder Frenzy","author":"Ryan D.","date":"January 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Backyard bird feeders can be a great source of joy and entertainment, especially in the grey winter months when the pop of red from a cardinal's plumage can bring some welcome color to the scenery and the chatty antics of a small flock of finches fighting over feeder perches can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red-bellied woodpecker \u00a9 John Jack Mohr","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/2581JohnJack_Mohr9250_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/2581JohnJack_Mohr9250_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/2581JohnJack_Mohr9250_fi.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8489,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/bird-seed-basics\/","url_meta":{"origin":14894,"position":3},"title":"Bird Seed Basics","author":"Hillary T.","date":"December 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Want to see birds without ever having to leave home? 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And don't be concerned about creating a hardship for birds should you decide to take a hiatus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/12\/161SusumuKishihara3650.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/12\/161SusumuKishihara3650.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/12\/161SusumuKishihara3650.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16947,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/follow-that-yellow-bird\/","url_meta":{"origin":14894,"position":4},"title":"Follow That Yellow Bird","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"July 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A flash of yellow flies by, and with only a quick glance, it\u2019s hard to tell what it is. Was it a warbler or a finch? With so many brightly colored birds, it\u2019s easy to get your species mixed up. With a few tips, you can tell one yellow bird\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/06\/5962Jason_Gilbody30075-750x500-479fa047-f7bd-4de0-9136-6a6dd568b12a.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5492,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/surprising-animal-color-variations\/","url_meta":{"origin":14894,"position":5},"title":"Surprising Animal Color Variations","author":"Rosemary","date":"June 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Every now and then you might see an animal that looks like a member of a familiar species, but with a twist: it\u2019s much darker or lighter than normal. 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