Finches: Avian nomads from the north
Stock up your feeders, because winter visitors are here
As with every fall and winter, I've been busy meeting the food demands of the many birds descending on my yard and feeders. Until late October, a dozen whitethroated sparrows were gorging themselves on the millet finch mix I scatter on the ground. These small seeds also attracted several white-crowned sparrows and, now, a half-dozen dark-eyed juncos. Recently, a fox sparrow also made a one-day star appearance. Black oil sunflower aficionados like cardinals, chickadees and American goldfinches are also putting a serious dent in my birdseed budget. Not to be outdone, hairy and downy woodpeckers along with both redbreasted and white-breasted nuthatches are gorging themselves at the peanut feeder. A pileated and a red-bellied woodpecker have even showed up several times.
But, despite our best attempts to entice them to stay, migrants such as white-throated and white-crowned sparrows have already deserted us in favour of wintering grounds in the southeastern U.S. This year, however, a second wave of visitors is starting to fill the void. 2018-19 is an irruption (flight) year in central and southern Ontario for "winter finches", a term used to describe highly nomadic, northern species like redpolls, siskins, purple finches and pine grosbeaks.
Some winters, these birds are totally absent from the Kawarthas, while other years, they can empty feeders in less than a day. Why do finch numbers fluctuate so widely? The short answer is the status of the wild food crop. Winter finches move southward or east or west - when there is a shortage of food in their boreal forest breeding territories of northern Ontario and Quebec. The wild foods they depend upon most are the seeds and berries of trees such as birches, mountain ashes, pines and spruces. If seed crops are good in the north, the birds stay put. If food is lacking, they will sometimes fly thousands of kilometres to find it.
Since the fall of 1999, Ron Pittaway and Jean Iron of the Ontario Field Ornithologists have prepared an annual forecast of which northern finch species are most likely to show up in southern and central Ontario in the coming late fall and winter. The forecast is based on the relative abundance of seed crops in the boreal forest.
Much of the data comes from Ministry of Natural Resources staff. This year, cone, birch seed and mountain-ash berry crops are below average to poor in most of the province.
So, what are the implications for the thousands of area residents who enjoy feeding birds? Well, the outlook is promising. Below you will find a species-by-species breakdown of what birds are likely to grace your feeders. Four non-finch species are also included in the list, namely the blue jay, red-breasted nuthatch, bohemian waxwing and American robin. PINE GROSBEAK: These large, magnificent grosbeaks are moving south in moderate numbers this year, due to low American mountain-ash berry crops in the north. Watch for them feeding on European mountain-ash berries and ornamental crabapples, often right in the city. A number have already been reported. On rare occasions, pine grosbeaks will also come to feeders.
EVENING GROSBEAK: For the first time in years, evening grosbeaks are showing up at feeders in the Kawarthas, where they dine on sunflower seeds. In recent days, sightings have come in from Lakefield, Peterborough and Cavan. In April 2016, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed the evening grosbeak a species of Special Concern due to strong population declines in central and eastern Canada.
PURPLE FINCH: Purple finches have been moving south since September, with small numbers still present in the Kawarthas. This is another species that prefers black oil sunflower seeds. Most will have left the province by December, however, since feeders alone don't seem to be enough to keep them here. An easy way to tell purple finches from house finches is by checking the tip of the tail; the former has a distinctly notched or slightly forked tail. The house finch's tail is squared off.
PINE SISKIN: This is another species that depends on the seeds they extract from cones, especially those of spruce, fir and hemlock. Since the northern cone crop is generally poor, we can expect to see siskins at feeders in the coming weeks and over the winter. I saw some in late October with a flock of common redpolls near Stony Lake. To attract siskins to your yard, put
out nyger seeds in a silo-type feeder.
COMMON REDPOLL: The poor crop of seeds on birch, alders and conifers means that this should be a good year for redpolls in the Kawarthas. Just this past Sunday, I came across a flock of a 100 or more gleaning sand and grit from a road near Mount Pleasant. I'm still waiting, however, to see them at my nyger seed feeder, where they indulge in a feeding frenzy. Watch, too, for slightly larger hoary redpolls in among the flocks of commons. The male hoary is most distinctive, with very pale overall coloration and dull pink on the breast. Conversely, the breasts of male common redpolls often have a more extensive deep pink.
RED CROSSBILL: Red crossbills will be scarce this winter in the Kawarthas. If some do show up, watch for them in pines. Petroglyphs Provincial Park is often a good location to see both species of crossbills. Red crossbills comprise about 10 "call types" in North America. Most types are impossible to identify without analyzing recordings of their flight calls. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL: This crossbill moves back and forth like a pendulum across the boreal forest looking for bumper spruce cone crops. It ventures south only in years of widespread cone crop failures. Some should wander south this winter into central Ontario, because of poor cone crops in the eastern boreal forest. Some years, whitewinged crossbills come right into Peterborough, where they extract seeds from the cones of the city's many non-native spruces. Both crossbill species sometimes come to feeders when black oil sunflower seeds are on the menu.
The abundance of other birds albeit not finches - also varies greatly from one year to the next.
BLUE JAY: The number of jays that tough it out in Ontario in a given winter is linked to abundance of acorns, beechnuts and hazelnuts. These crops were poor in most of central Ontario this year, which means that most blue jays have already migrated south into the U.S. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH: A southward movement of these small, hyperactive birds occurred earlier this fall and is evidence of poor cone crops in the north. This may mean above-average numbers in our region. BOHEMIAN WAXWING: The poor American mountainash berry crop in the north should result in a good flight of these majestic waxwings into the Kawarthas. Watch for them feeding on the berries of European mountain ash and European buckthorn as well as ornamental crabapples. Swirling flocks of bohemian waxwings resemble starlings and make a continuous buzzy, ringing twitter. They can be distinguished from cedar waxwings, which may also be present, by their rufous undertail feathers, yellow tips on wing feathers and dark grey belly.
AMERICAN ROBIN: Given the good wild grape crop this year in the Kawarthas, it is likely that greater-than-average numbers of robins will spend the winter with us. Flocks can often be seen along the Trans-Canada Trail west of Jackson Park and along the Parkway Trail between Hilliard and Cumberland streets. The best way to attract robins to your yard in winter is by planting wild grape, European mountainash and ornamental crab apples. Robins may also come to a heated winter birdbath.
To conclude, it looks like a variety of winter finches and other birds should grace us with their presence this fall and winter. These predictions are not yet an exact science, however, so we'll have to wait and see. To get up-to-date information on what birds are arriving in the Kawarthas, go to ebird.org, click on "Explore" and then "Explore Regions.” Type in "Peterborough". Click on "Bar Charts" and set the "Date Range" to the current year only. And, If you haven't done so already, get out your feeders and stock up on black oil sunflower, nyger and millet seeds. Avant-Garden Shop on Sherbrooke Street has a great selection of feeders, seeds and more. They can also answer all your questions.
The birds will thank you, and you'll have non-stop backyard entertainment.