Redpolls and Siskins and Crossbills, Oh My!

It must be a bad winter in Canada this year 'cause we have alot of birds at our feeders that usually don't come this far south.

For the first time in 20 years, we have White-Winged Crossbills! I'd heard that they were spotted in our area, so I was watching for them. When I finally spotted one in the heated bird bath, I was surprised at how big they were. They're just a little smaller than a Cedar Waxwing, but larger than a finch, junco or sparrow.


You can't miss the males -- they're a ruby red color with white bands on their wings. It was hard to see the crossed bills with my binoculars, but once I got a look, that was strange to see, too.

The Pine Siskins and Redpolls are occasional winter visitors to our feeders. But, this year, we have flocks of them.

All of these northern birds eat spruce seeds, so the seed crop in Canada must have been pretty small this year. When there's no food to eat, the birds migrate south in search of seeds.

We have lots of spruce trees in 50 acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land. As we walk through the woods, we hear and see the Siskins and Redpolls.

So, keep an eye on your feeders -- you never know what you might see!