Birds to brighten your day: Part V

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak Pine siskins visit a feeder in Danbury, Connecticut, fall 2018.

Here’s a species commingling shot I took last year when pine siskins were eating me out of house and home. They hang out with goldfinches a lot so I did a post (and a video) and how to tell the two species apart. Below is the link to the post, which includes the video.

(Repeat text from yesterday:) With many of us working from home or otherwise “physical distancing” as we combat COVID-19, I figured I’d start a daily series of photos showing different bird species together. Why not? Maybe it will brighten somebody’s day to see commingling bird species each morning as we’re all stuck inside.

Here’s the link to last year’s post.

Photo by Chris Bosak Pine siskins visit a feeder in Danbury, Connecticut, March 2019.

Pine siskin vs. American goldfinch video

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Chris Bosak

Here is a video I put together on the current pine siskin (fall 2018) irruption. Also a description on how to tell siskins and goldfinches apart. Subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.

Siskin irruption hits home — finally

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak A pine siskin eats Nyjer seeds at a feeder in Danbury, Conn., fall 2018.

After reading about pine siskins being seen throughout New England for several weeks, I woke up this morning to three of them at my feeding station. Pine siskins are one of the winter finches that irrupt from the north into New England and points south in sporadic winters. (Related post may be found here.)

Pine Siskins are often confused with goldfinches because they look fairly similar and prefer Nyjer (or thistle) seeds. Siskins are a bit larger, more sleek, more streaked and have a longer, pointed bill. The heavy streaking, especially on the sides, and yellow wing and tail markings are the best clues to differentiate the species. The male siskins have more prominent yellow markings.

So today I celebrate that the siskins have arrived. The birds, however, have a very healthy appetite and Nyjer seed is not cheap, so we’ll see how I feel if their numbers multiply. I’m sure I’ll continue to be inspired by their presence. After all, it’s been about 10 years since I was a part of one of their irruptions. I think I can splurge once a decade on them.

Here is a photo of them with goldfinches. Note the differences in plumage. The goldfinch is on the lower right.