Boreal Feeder Birds & Winter Finches
During winter we birders anticipate the arrival of northern visitors to our yards and feeding stations, birds that bring increased activity and color to our yards. Among the most anticipated are the variety of finches ranging from Pine Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks to Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins. There are the Red and White-winged Crossbills too, as well as such favorite boreal birds as Red-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays, and Bohemian Waxwings.
Movements of these birds south are not as regular as we witness with so many migratory species; instead, these birds remain in the northern forests as long as there are abundant foods, including pine and birch seeds. Some years few if any boreal birds and winter finches venture south, but during years when trees in the boreal forest produce few seeds, the “winter finches” fly south in search of foods, which includes our well-stocked feeders with nutritious seeds.
Whether these interesting boreal birds would appear in northern states and southern provinces tended to be something of a guessing game, until the turn of the century. That’s when a group of volunteers – dedicated birders and biologists – began studying the annual seed production among the principal forest trees that produce seeds that finches feed on: Primarily white spruce, black spruce, tamarack, white pine, red pine, birches, oaks, and beech trees.
The current organizer and author of the Winter Finch Forecast is Tyler Hoar, who lives in the heart of the northern forest in Ontario. He was recently interviewed by Audubon magazine to share some interesting insights into how the annual forecast is conducted. To read his interview, you can refer to This Year’s Bonanza of Boreal Birds Once Again Bears Out the Winter Finch Forecast | Audubon Read more
