Winter Finches and other Canada birds that may fly south during an irruption year. 

What classifies a Winter Finch? 

Winter finches are finches that normally inhabit the boreal forests in Canada, but may make their way south during the winter months when food is scarce in their natural feeding regions. These birds are Pine Siskins & Purple Finches. But, can also include other Canada birds such as Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, Crossbills, Common Redpolls, and Juncos. 

What is an Irruption Year?

In laymans terms, an Irruption Year for birds is a large group of birds that migrate outside of their typical feeding and nesting range in search of an abundance of food, due to a lack of resources in their usual winter range. Often times this happens when an abundant spring leads to a boom in nesting birds followed by a decrease in available food sources in the winter. Birds will move in flocks, further and further south, until they find a continual and abundant food source. This means some of us in the northern Indiana and southern Michigan counties get lucky enough to see these winter birds. 

 

Pine Siskins "flock to thistle or nyjer feeders and other small seeds such as millet or hulled sunflower seeds. They may hang around whole sunflower seed feeders if heavier-billed birds are messy eaters and drop seed bits." Allaboutbirds.org-Pine Siskin. Pine Siskins are small, like goldfinch, and are often overlooked as goldfinch females or house finch females. Pine siskins are brown and very streaky birds with subtle yellow edgings on wings and tails. The slender beaks and yellow streak in their wings are great indicators you are looking at a Pine Siskin instead of a Goldfinch which sport black and white striped wings. 

 

 

Purple Finches have large, seed-cracking beaks, and they seem to like black oil sunflower seeds best. A seed preference study determined that they choose thinner sunflower seeds over wider ones. Purple Finch have the appearance of a House Finch that has been "dipped in Raspberry juice."- Allaboutbirds.org-Purple Finch. Purple Finch have a purple/red hue that can be found all over their head, shoulders, wings, and back. Whereas male House Finch will carry a more distinct bright red on the crown of their head, under their chin and down their chest, and a red rump. For more information on Purple Finch vs House Finch visit this link from the Audubon Society.

 

 

Red-Breasted Nuthatches are tiny bundles of attitude and energy. Most birders are used to seeing White-breasted Nuthatches in their yard and at their feeders. Like their White-Breasted Nuthatch cousins, "Red-Breasted Nuthatches will eat from feeders, taking peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. When given the choice they tend to select the heaviest food item available; if these are too large to eat in one piece they typically jam them into bark and then hammer them open."-Allaboutbirds.org- Red-Breasted Nuthatches. When the cooler temperatures move in and the snow begins to fall in the U.P. and Canada, the Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan counties get the joy of seeing Red-Breasted Nuthatches at their feeders. 

 

 

The arrival of Juncos aka "Snow Birds" are the surety that winter is just around the corner. The Dark-Eyed Junco (as is its full name), next to the chickadee, is arguably the cutest bird in your backyard. With their sweet demeanor; this small, rounded, dark eyed little sparrow is distinguished with its dark upper body and stark white underbelly (though shades may vary depending on sex and age).  "Dark-eyed Juncos are among the most abundant forest birds of North America. Look for them on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them."-Allaboutbirds.org - Dark-Eyed Juncos

 

 

 Other winter Canada or irruption visitors can be-

  

          Evening Grosbeaks                             Pine Grosbeaks                         Common Redpolls