Hey birders!
One of my students, Anna Seidl, and I have been watching Pine Siskins on the
campus of Bethany Lutheran College for the last three weeks or so. We have
been seeing as many as four birds at one time at the birdfeeding station and
assumed that we had two pairs. About three weeks ago we successfully followed
a bird and located the beginning of a cup in one of the spruces on campus. A
bird is now incubating on that nest. An additional nest was found by Anna last
week about 50 yards from the other one; a bird is incubating a clutch on that
nest as well.
This is an interesting observation, but certainly not a unique one. We have
had siskins around the Bethany campus into May for at least four of the last 8
years. I located the beginning of a cup back in 2001 but the nest was
abandoned. Two years ago I saw an adult feeding a pair of fledglings in late
April.
Are there any other breeding records for this species in southern Minnesota?
Patiently waiting for SPRING migrants,
Chad Heins
Mankato, MN
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