My 70-120 redpolls are also gone. Hard to keep track, but there were days when 120 seemed low...
The seed was only about 1/2 gone when I filled it this morning. Other days during the last few months it was completely empty in about 2 days!! Holly Peirson SE Anoka Co. -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Frederickson Randy Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2013 10:53 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Winter finches Currently have about 220 redpolls feeding in my back yard. Numbers had dropped off these past two weeks, and reading other reports from southern MN, I thought the large flock I'd been feeding all winter was gone. I always have goldfinches in the winter, but the redpolls seemed to have displaced them this year. I honestly don't think the goldfinches can compete with this mass of redpolls, though I have a smattering of siskins mixed in. The siskins typically feed at the end of the redpoll sessions. Going through about 7 lbs of seed/ day, and all my feeders are squirrel proof. Conversely, I have searched at least twice a week since early Dec. for pine grosbeaks and crossbills and have not turned up a single bird, though I have found areas where crossbills have fed. Off topic...perfect time of year to remove sparrows and starlings from your Martin housing. Use live traps so you can release nuthatches, chickadees, etc. Randy Frederickson Willmar Middle School ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
