It’s that time of year when you need to check those finch feeders carefully. From a distance you may think you’re seeing goldfinches or Pine Siskins, but grab those binoculars to be sure because there might just be a Common Redpoll or two among them.
I thought this female redpoll was just another Pine Siskin until I caught a flash of her little red cap:
I wondered if she was alone, so I checked the various feeders around our house. No, she had just wandered away from her flock. Outside the kitchen window I have several hanging feeders and they were covered with redpolls. These birds prefer cracked sunflower seeds, millet and Nyjer seed—at least at my feeders.
I hope the flocks sticks around for awhile despite the fact that the neighborhood Cooper’s Hawk is on the hunt again.
