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Q. What birds can I expect at our feeder now that the cooler weather is here?
A: Well there are quite a few birds around, this time of the year, and I have just heard the song of one of my favorite backyard visitors and that is the House Finch.
The House Finch is about the size of a common House or English Sparrow, as it is sometimes known, and does indeed thrill one with its bright and musical song. From my observations they appear to be more noticeable in the winter, using shrubs and hedges for shelter and dash out to visit the feeder. Often they will perch near the top of a tree and sing a warbling, cheerful song for several minutes. The male House Finch has a bright red breast and a reddish area over the forehead and the rump. As is the case with most species in the animal kingdom, the female is less colorful and is in fact quite a bland bird and sometimes confused with the House (English) Sparrow.
All birds will forage for food from dawn to dusk in the wintertime. But they quickly adapt to feeders, especially seed eating birds. If you also put out suet, you will attract other species of birds. In combination they create a fascinating source of joy and interest for us to watch. This may prove to be the start of a lifelong hobby for some people. Many gardeners are using plants that provide berries, trees that attract insects and nest boxes for the cavity nesting birds to enhance year round bird watching.
The House Finch is a relatively recent migrant to the Central Okanagan first documented in the early 1930's.
Another winter visitor is the Pine Siskin; a bird a little smaller than the finch. This bird is streaked with yellow with more yellow in the wings and tail (some are much brighter than others). They like to travel in flocks, and feed on buds and seeds of birches, alders, pines and sometimes take small insects. I remember one year in late winter or early spring, the Pine Siskins eating buds of the Forsythia with the result there were no flowers that year. The Siskins sometimes mix with their close cousins the Goldfinches and fly in flocks. A few years ago the disease salmonella, which bred in dirty bird feeders, caused a great deal of mortality in this species. So remember to clean your feeders periodically with a bleach solution and rinse thoroughly.
The American Goldfinch, approx 12 cm. long, is a striking bird in the breeding season with a sulphur yellow body and black wings. There is an area of black on the forehead and an orange bill. The female is much paler yellow in colour, and in winter both genders are a pale yellow/brown with buffy wing bars. They too are usually found in flocks and are common in orchards, hedgerows, and overgrown fields, where they feed on weed seeds, especially thistles and mullein.
I use a combination of seeds in my bird feeder, usually containing sunflower, millet, corn, and wheat in a tube feeder. The Finches and House Sparrows feed from the holes pulling seed onto the ground where California Quayle, Mourning Doves, Ring-necked Pheasants and sometimes Mallard Ducks feed on what remains.
I will talk about other winter bird visitors next month. Good luck! |
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