I have only a couple Pine Siskins but ANY at this date is unprecedented in our yard. On the other hand 100-200 Goldfinch have been the norm for the past two weeks. This past weekend at the store 9 out of 10 customers reported incredible numbers of goldfinches, whether someone who had never had any and were seeing 20, or experienced bird feeders seeing hundreds.
Also, both Saturday and Sunday I received numerous calls asking, " What is the little blue bird at my feeders. Never have had so many people seeing Indigo Buntings singly and in multiples. Several inquiries about females and molting males. Easily 1000# of Nyjer went out the doorover the weekend. Many customers seeing their first Orchard Orioles, as well. John Nelson Good Thunder MN On May 20, 2013, at 12:02 PM, ssmorton <ssstn...@mvtvwireless.com> wrote: > And...what about the goldfinches? I had over 200 in my yard over the > weekend. > > Sue Morton > Cottonwood > > -----Original Message----- > From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of North, > Michael R (DNR) > Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 9:27 AM > To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU > Subject: Re: [mou-net] Pine Siskins > > I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that we are possibly seeing > an irruption of pine siskins rather than a normal spring movement. I have > been having hundreds swarming at my home near Pillager (Cass County) since > May 15th. On the 19th I caught one that was banded near Revelstoke, British > Columbia on August 22, 2012, as a hatch-year bird. Also, I have banded > another 65 and they are all second-year and after second-year birds (no > young-of-the-year), and they all have wing lengths in the shorter spectrum > of the range of possible wing lengths, suggesting to me they are mostly > females with few males. They are also heavy with fat and weighing in far > above the normal weight. None have shown any signs of breeding activity > (i.e., no brood patches, no cloacal protuberances). Definitely atypical. > The next few days or weeks should tell if we are having an irruption or > whether I am "all wet." > > -----Original Message----- > From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Alan > Stankevitz > Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 3:10 PM > To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU > Subject: [mou-net] Pine Siskins > > Very strange... I have had a few Pine Siskins that have stuck around since > Winter but this afternoon there must be hundreds of Pine Siskins in the > trees nearby. The sound of zzzziiipppp... is everywhere. I have never > seen/heard so many Pine Siskins and usually they are gone by April. > > Alan Stankevitz > Near Hokah in Houston County ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
