Missing the Siskins

Looking out at my feeders and seeing how empty they are day after day can be disheartening in these coldest, grayest days of winter. Last winter I was inundated with tremendous number of pine siskins in the midst of their biennial irruption, but this year not a single siskin has graced my feeders. While they’re not particularly colorful birds, nor do they have pleasing personalities, their sharp territoriality and flashes of yellow were welcome and now are missed.

Too often we take for granted the birds at our feeders, assuming they will always be there to brighten our days. Just because they’ve vanished does not mean we’re doing anything wrong or that our yards are unattractive, but it can be a lonely lesson to remember that even the most common of backyard birds are still wild. If you just look, however, you may discover more birds around you than you think.

While the siskins may be absent, I’m still enjoying the rambunctious company of house sparrows and house finches whose ranks are regularly scattered by Spook and Dart, our ever watchful sharp shinned and Cooper’s hawks. The Eurasian collared doves drop by almost daily to visit my hopper feeders, and the dark eyed juncos are occasionally mingling with my backyard flock. American goldfinches and lesser goldfinches are rare but lovely splashes of yellow at the nyger feeders, and I’ve spotted American robins feeding in our neighborhood’s trees and poking around my bushes now and then. And just yesterday, I had to hastily find my peanut dish where it had been stored away and replenish it for a pair of hungry western scrub jays that quickly emptied it.

Just look around you, and you’ll be surprised at what birds are visiting your yard, even if some species are more conspicuous by their absence.

Dumpster Diving Siskins

In the midst of replacing feeders for the new landscaping (not quite finished yet - one project to go before I unveil the "after" pictures), I've had the old feeders balanced precariously on a pole stuffed into a trash can of discarded sod. The birds haven't minded, and for the past two weeks I've been treated to the frugal and unfinicky behavior of my dumpster diving pine siskins, who have thought nothing of hopping onto the sod pile to take advantage of the spilled seed -- both nyger and black oil sunflower.

Unfortunately for the eager and undiscriminating birds, that trash can is now gone, and none too soon as rotting sod after rainy days is none too pleasant to have in the backyard. Still, some of the new feeders have been placed and they're getting a mildly welcome reception from the house finches, pine siskins, American goldfinches, and lesser goldfinches. A couple of modifications to the birdbath have been enthusiastically received by all, and other parts of the new landscaping are equally popular. I'm currently waiting on some parts before erecting the remaining new feeders, and I should have that phase of the project complete within the next two to three weeks.

The transformations to the yard have been outstanding, and I couldn't be happier with the work. That one last piece keeps getting delayed (twice already this week, perhaps it will be done tomorrow or perhaps on Monday) is frustrating, but it's a minor part of the overall work.

Frankly, I'm glad that May is nearly here - April has been too frenetic, work-wise, for me to spend as much time birding as I'd like. The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is coming May 14-18, during which time I'll participate in three field trips, as possibly more as I consider the schedule. This year's spotlight bird is the snowy plover, which I'm very much hoping to add to my life list during the festival.

Spring is a beautiful time for birding, and I hope that everyone -- myself included -- can slow down to appreciate the birds that share this season in our backyards.

Backyard Bonanza

Today was quite the day for visitors to the backyard, despite the fact that I refused to refill the six now empty feeders only one day after they were all bursting with seed. (For small birds, pine siskins are absolutely voracious.) Nonetheless, the bright but chilly day, the spilled seed on the ground, the dregs in the mesh nyger sock, and the heated birdbath attracted quite the menagerie:

• Cedar Waxwings
• Pine Siskins
• Lesser Goldfinches
• American Goldfinches
• American Robins
• Mourning Doves
• Eurasian Collared Doves
• House Finches
• Cassin's Finches

Despite the fact that the ducks did not come calling today, I don't believe I've had a birdier day in the backyard. And there are amazing observations that accompany such a flock...

• You never know when, nor for how long, a unique visitor will appear. I happened to be working at the dining table this morning, and while doing so I'd moved my chair to easily see the feeders and watch the fun. I was astonished to notice a small flock of cedar waxwings alight in the trees bordering our northern fence, and even more astonished when they came into the yard to visit the birdbath. They were only there for a few minutes, and if I'd been working in my office on the other side of the house I'd have been none the wiser.

• Water is an irresistible attractor. Every one of the bird species that visited today stopped for a sip from the concrete birdbath, but the cedar waxwings and American robins weren't the least bit interested in the available seed. If you truly want to attract the widest variety of species to your yard, you definitely need to have water available. And this was just from a still birdbath (and one that was none too clean at the time) - I can hardly wait to see what happens in a couple of weeks when the new fountain is installed.

• The smaller the bird, the bigger the attitude. The pine siskins are some of the smallest to visit my feeding areas, yet they are the most vicious and temperamental of the entire mixed flock. They will snap at other birds, including other siskins, as well as beat them with their wings and engage in spectacular aerial dogfights (birdfights?) complete with an unrelenting barrage of buzzes, chirps, and chatters. The result? A momentary monopoly on the feeder - almost invariably the nyger sock - until another siskin decides to take on the challenge for feeder dominance.

The most important thing to learn from so many visitors, however, is that there is always something new to observe and you can always care for every bird. Every day I'm amazed at the birds that will make eye contact with me, chirp at me, and even buzz me while I'm refilling the feeders or scrubbing the birdbath. While some may think they're simply being territorial and reacting to a perceived menace, I believe they do recognize me and our fondness is - at least at times - mutual.

That, or I simply need to refill the birdfeeders more often. Happy birding!

Sock It to Me

With more and more pine siskins mobbing the small tube feeders I use -- the larger versions will go out on the first day of spring -- I decided to try out a nyger sock feeder. I knew birders had success with the design, but I was not prepared for the wild popularity the sock would find instantly in my backyard. It took only a few minutes before the first siskin chose the sock over the tube feeders, and by the end of the day they were already battling over who could usurp the prime feeding positions on the mesh.

It's clearly a preferred type of feeder, and I've had up to eight individual siskins on it at once. The lesser goldfinches will also use it, though they're often driven off by the very territorial siskins. I'm amazed at how effective the sock design is, as the birds can cling to it every which way without needing to crane their necks for each bite. I'm already planning to buy more, and more garden hooks, to provide a larger and more flock-friendly feeding station. If you don't yet have a sock feeder, I highly recommend it!

Wild Rescues

Twice in the past week I've been startled by the unwelcome yet distinctive thud of an unfortunate bird hitting our glass patio doors with significant speed and force. Both times, I've found the victims -- pine siskins -- dazed and limp on the concrete. And both times, I've been able to create a happy ending to what could have been a tragedy.

Window collisions are no rarity for backyard birders, but a swift and compassionate reaction can help the birds survive if they are not too gravely injured. With both of these birds, they were still obviously breathing, though disoriented and severely stunned. The first managed to flap his wings weakly, while the second could only sag against the concrete, his bill the only thing keeping his head off the ground.

With the cold, windy weather we've had recently, I couldn't leave the birds outside. I grabbed my bird rescue box -- a sturdy, spacious cardboard box prepped with a newspaper lining -- and a pair of garden gloves, gentle picked up the bird, and placed it in the box. Lowering the lid to give it darkness and quiet, I kept the birds sequestered for nearly an hour each, checking their condition several times to be sure they were recovering. When the birds appeared alert, active, and anxious to be on their own again, it was time to let them go.

The first pine siskin was quiet, even as I took the box out to the now deserted patio to release him. He peered up at me from his cardboard sanctuary for a few moments, then gently lifted off and fluttered to a nearby tree. He stayed around the yard for some time, getting a drink at the warmed birdbath and rejuvenating himself with black oil sunflower seeds from the open platform.

The second siskin, a guest in my office just this morning, was more active and eager to be away. When I opened the box carefully (and I don't dare lift the lid completely) to check his condition, he flitted out into the office, heading first for the wide mirrored closet doors that were reflecting the large curved window, then to the window itself. He flew back and forth between the two several times, anxious to leave but unable to fly away. Fortunately, the window screens are still off for the winter, and I was able to open one side of the window for him to make his exit. He alighted in one of the quaking aspen trees in the front yard for quite awhile to get his bearings.

This shows that even birds of the same species have vastly different temperaments and will react differently to similar situations. I'm just glad that I was able to successfully aid both birds, and that they are none the worse for their brief respite in my box and my office. Of course, it was a thrill to have the little darling free in my office, it is even more of a thrill to set free a bird you know you've helped recover.

A Larger Buffet

As the weather warms, it becomes time to add more feeders to my backyard array. This week I added a trio of basic niger seed (thistle) feeders; simple tubes with single perches on each. I have them positioned near a pair of good observation windows, since the finches who patronize them tend to be smaller birds as well as a bit more shy, at least at first. Last year both pine siskins and house finches made use of the single tube feeder, often fighting for space. Thus, the expansion to three feeders.

While the siskins haven't appeared in the backyard yet -- I have seen them at a nearby park -- the finches are here daily. They don't seem to have sampled the new feeders as of yet, but that may be due to size. House finches are a shade too large for these tube feeders, and they go through considerable acrobatics to help themselves to the delicacies within. If they haven't yet discovered how tasty this seed can be, they may not be as interested. Furthermore, I wasn't offering as high a concentration of black oil sunflower seeds last year, and that may be more of a favorite choice.