I never did post this photo of a siskin that visited a few weeks ago. It showed up on the same day that the purple finch did. The finch stayed for only about an hour, while this siskin remained for a few days before disappearing. Here’s the story regarding those visits.
Here are a few more recent shots from this fall …
In case you missed the post last week, there is now a collection of bird books for sale on this site. There is only one copy of each book as I’m cleaning house and want the books to go to a good home. I’ve added a few books, including a few field guides that would make a valuable addition to any bird book collection. I’ve searched for each book elsewhere online and lowered the price substantially on each title. Find the page here, or click on “Bird Books for Sale” on the menu at the top of this page.
The regular flow of feeder birds continued this past week, but they were joined by a few newcomers.
Two weeks ago, it was a lone red-breasted nuthatch that showed up and stayed for a day. This past week, a lone purple finch and a lone pine siskin joined the usual gang of backyard birds. The purple finch stayed for only one day — a few hours, to be more precise. The pine siskin, however, has visited daily ever since it first arrived on the scene.
Pine siskins are notorious for showing up in large numbers and cleaning out thistle feeders. I am surprised this siskin has not been joined by others of its kind, but so far it has been just the one. It mixes with a large group of American goldfinches and can be quite feisty when another bird tries to steal its perch. Pine siskins often flock with American Continue reading
I keep seeing reports of more and more pine siskins and purple finches being seen throughout New England and farther south. I guess the Winter Finch Forecast was right about these species.
The Winter Finch Forecast also predicted a strong year for movements of red-breasted nuthatches, which started as early as August. The red-breasted nuthatch, of course, is not a finch but is included in the annual forecast because of its irregular migration patterns.
While I haven’t personally seen siskins or purple finches this year, I have seen a few r Continue reading
As a new feature to http://www.birdsofnewengland.com, I am offering several birding or nature books for sale. They are gently used books that I have enjoyed and want to pass on to a good, nature-loving home, hence the low prices. Prices include cost of shipping. There is only one copy of each book. Once it is purchased, I will delete the listing. Just in time for winter, Christmas and the next round of quarantine.
Some of the prices may seem high, but I took the lowest Amazon price and shaved off several dollars. I believe some of the books are out of print, which is why they are selling for so much.
Click on “Bird books for sale” in the top menu, or click here: https://birdsofnewengland.com/bird-books-for-sale/
I hadn’t seen bluebirds at my feeder since May, but back they came earlier this week. They stayed for about 10 minutes and were gone. I haven’t seen them since. I had a few other surprise visitors to the feeder this week. More on that Continue reading
Have you noticed an exceptional number of white-breasted nuthatches at your feeders this fall? If so, you’re not alone and migration is the likely reason.
We don’t typically think of white-breasted nuthatches as migratory birds. They are reliable backyard feeder birds and year-round residents, just like chickadees and tufted titmice. Do they really migrate?
I’ll get to a recent article that describes the white-breasted nuthatch’s irregular migration Continue reading
Here’s the cardinal pair visiting my fall feeding setup.
As promised, here’s a video of the New England fall feeder birds — it will be the most relaxing 23 minutes of your day.
Here’s a scary, fall-themed bird photo to kick off your Halloween.
This white-breasted nuthatch was not in a sharing mood with the surrounding tufted titmice. Click here for a recent For the Birds column regarding white-breasted nuthatches and migration.
Birds of New England.com 