Sun 28 Dec 2008
Pine Siskins still flocking through Loudoun
Posted by Nicole under Loudoun Wildlife
[4] Comments
I received some great photos from Betty and Bill Ebert yesterday of the Pine Siskins that are in their yard simply gobbling up the thistle seeds! The photo included here was taken by Bill and it certainly shows how active they are.
I sat outside for a good while yesterday watching them myself. They’re a feisty group and they seem to have a lot to say. Watching the thistle feeder, it was easy to tell the difference between the Pine Siskins and the Goldfinches. While they’re about the same size, the Pine Siskins have a lot of streaking on their bodies. This is a bird that we only have during the winter, as they spend their breeding periods primarily up north through Canada.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a great species account on Pine Siskins and you can also listen to their calls.
Are you seeing Pine Siskins in your yard? If so, click on the comment button above and let us know about your sightings.
We have had around 10 or so pine siskins now for over a week at our feeders in Potomac Falls too sharing thistle and seeds with goldfinches on 2 different feeders.
A flock of eight pine siskins appeared at our feeders about six weeks ago (roughly mid-Nov.), stayed for a week or 10 days, then disappeared. This past week a small flock has reappeared – both on the thistle and black oil sunflower feeders.
So now the mystery is resolved. On Christmas Day, I was enjoying playing with my new binoculars, and noticed what I had thought were all goldfinches on the thistle feeder. But some were a little different, and I didn’t take the time to look in the field guide. Now I know they were pine siskins!
Woo Hoo! Congratulations Debra on the pine siskins and…the new binos!! May you spot many a cool bird!