This winter, keep an eye out for some special feeder visitors! The winter of 2018-2019 is an especially high “irruption cycle” for northern finches. An “irruption” (think “eruption”) is when major bird food sources such as pine cones and cedar berries fail to produce their normal harvest, and finches (and some other species like red-breasted nuthatch) in the northern U. S. and Canada migrate down south of their normal range, giving people who feed birds in the lower 48 states a chance to see some normally elusive feeder birds, including evening grosbeak, common redpoll, and pine siskin. Be sure to have your finch feeders and black-oilers ready to go!
About The Author
