pine-siskin-dec-22-2008-41The cold front seems to have brought a number of Pine Siskins to Loudoun and our surrounding area!  I noticed a number of them at our platform feeder here in Waterford this morning – mixed in and feeding alongside the Goldfinches and House Finches.

I emailed with Joe Coleman about this and he shared the following: “You wouldn’t believe how many siskins are being reported at feeders from north of Baltimore to south of Roanoke & in some cases as many as 50 to 80 birds in a yard.  None had come to my feeders until a few days ago & now their numbers are swelling every day & are they feisty!”

I haven’t been able to get a good photo yet (ok, so it was too chilly for me to sit out there and wait for the birds to come back after I spooked them off with the camera) but here is a photo taken through our very dirty window. Keep an eye on your feeders – these sweet birds may be descending into your backyard too!  Sunflower chips seem to be a hit. Watch for the streaking as well as the yellow on the wing and the slender pointed bill.  The photo here is of a female and you can just barely see the yellow on the wing.  The male has more yellow visible.

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