Their appearance is rather nondescript and they put a hurting on the budget of those who feed birds, but pine siskins have been causing quite a stir throughout New England this winter. A stir in a positive way, that is.
Pine siskins, which are often found in mixed flocks with goldfinches, usually winter north of New England, but they have descended upon our region in mass numbers this year. Siskins are one of the finch species that occasionally “irrupts” into our area during sporadic winters when food becomes scarce up north. This is one of those years.
The Connecticut Ornithological Association’s birding blog is teeming with people from all corners of that state writing about their siskin sightings. Some people have reported hundreds of siskins visiting their yards. One writer even claimed that siskins were landing on his shoulders as he refilled the feeders.
Some writers are joking that they have too many siskins and want to get rid of them. Siskins have a habit of eating very heartily at birdfeeders. Also, their favorite food is thistle seed, which is one of the more expensive wild bird foods to purchase.
The excitement is not that siskins are a flashy or particularly attractive bird. They are about the same size as a goldfinch, but they are largely a dull streaked brown with a little yellow on their wings.
The excitement, rather, is that siskins are a special treat for those of us in New England. They breed in coniferous forests well north of here and only sometimes visit us in the winter, in large numbers anyway.
Aside from anecdotal evidence, hard data from the recently held Great Backyard Bird Count supports the many claims that this is an irruptive year for pine siskins.
With the results that have been turned in and tabulated already, there were 3,455 pine siskins counted in New Hampshire, including 118 in Keene, during the 2009 GBBC. Last year a total of only 65 siskins were counted in the state. In 2007, only 29 were counted in New Hampshire during the Great Backyard Bird Count.
In fact, Alstead had 802 siskins this year for the count, a top 20 location in the country. The New England invasion is not limited to New Hampshire. Connecticut, which is even farther away from the siskins’ breeding range, had more than 5,000 pine siskins. Hamden, Conn., had 528 siskins this year for the count, a top 50 location in the country.
Personally, I’ve been left out of the great siskin invasion of 2009 so far. I did have a small flock visit two years ago and I enjoyed their tame mannerisms. At one point I tossed a great handful of thistle into the air and allowed the seeds spread all over the deck. The siskins landed on the tables, chairs, railings and floor to grab the seeds. It was a fun couple of days watching the feeders.
At one point I opened a window to stock up a tube feeder and one pesky siskin remained on the perch until I physically grabbed the feeder to take it off its hook. I can see the merit in the person’s claim that the birds were landing on him while he tried to fill his feeders.
I guess if they have come this far to find food, nothing is going to stop them from eating.

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