We have about six to twelve Goldfinches regularly coming to the sunflower feeders, along with about the same number of House Finches. Pine Siskins come in for short periods of time, but I can often hear them in the tree tops. It has seemed like only two to four were around most of the winter, but numbers appear to be higher now with about six at the bird bath and feeder yesterday at a time. Greater numbers of finches are in the treetops and may be coming to neighboring feeders. Redpolls have enjoyed my neighbor's feeder much more than mine. Nobody has interest in my thistle seed.
On Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 12:01 PM, dan&erika <[email protected]> wrote: > Betsy and All-- > > I banded great numbers of goldfinches, redpolls, and siskins for almost 30 > years in South Dakota. At first it appeared that goldfinches were replaced > by siskins, which in turn were replaced by redpolls--depending on the > winter. As time passed, however, I came to agree with Betsy Beneke. I > concluded that these winter finch cycles are random and unpredictable. Some > winters I banded numbers of all three species. This winter, here in > Minnesota, we have many siskins and redpolls but very few goldfinches. > > dan > > > On Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 7:23 AM, Betsy Beneke <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > I'm still feeding anywhere from 50 to 125 common redpo > > Erika, and all, > > > > I'm still feeding anywhere from 50 to 125 common redpolls at my house > east > > of St. Cloud every day. No pine siskins or goldfinches all winter. > > > > At Sherburne Refuge, I've had scattered goldfinches all winter - no > > regulars - there are 2-6 birds one or two days a week. No siskins. > Still > > seeing a couple of large flocks of redpolls on the east side of the > refuge, > > but I haven't had a single one at my bird feeder at HQ all winter. Guess > > they just never found me. > > > > I've found in my many years of feeding birds in MN that goldfinches and > > pine siskins are always roaming, you can never count on them from one > year > > or even season to the next. > > > > Betsy Beneke > > > > ---- > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > > > > > -- > Dan or Erika Tallman > Northfield, Minnesota > [email protected] > > http://sites.google.com/site/tallmanorum > http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com > http://picasaweb.google.com/danerika > > The White Album: Portraits of Minnesota > Birds< > http://www.blurb.com/b/3992062-the-white-album-portraits-of-minnesota-birds-dan-t > > > Two Years Among the Odonates < > http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3467428> > > ".... the best shod travel with wet feet...Beware of all enterprises that > require new clothes ....”—H. D. Thoreau; "Back off, man. I'm a > scientist."—Dr. Peter Venkman > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN [email protected] ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
