Irruptive Finches

We have noticed very high numbers of House Finches this year, but only one Common Redpoll so far and we haven't seen him/her in over a week. We'd love to see Siskins, Redpolls (the first year we were here, there were hundreds of Redpolls and quite a few Siskins). We've only observed Crossbills at my parents house, so I should mention they keep an eye out for any return visitors. We seethe Purple Finch once or twice a year, so it would be wonderful to see some on a more frequent basis. We have yet to ID the Hoary Redpoll here or in any of our travels.

Here's the latest from the Project FeederWatch newsletter:

Learn more about irruptive finches

In response to anticipated winter finch invasions this winter season, the editors of Birds of North America Online have focused on five species that are typically involved in these winter finch irruptions: Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Common Redpoll, and Hoary Redpoll and updated these accounts with new photos, audio and videos, as well as new identification information (located in the Distinguishing Characteristics article). As you may know, winter finches are a group of birds that periodically migrate southward when seed crops crash in the North. During "invasion years" flocks can be found well south of typical wintering areas, and backyard feeders can become inundated with hungry finches.

So if you are having a winter finch invasion in your backyard, you may wish to check out the Birds of North America Online articles about these species to learn more about these periodic winter visitors and their irruptive movements. Project FeederWatch participants have free access to BNA Online through the end of January. Simply sign into the BNA Online home page using your Project FeederWatch login name and password (you have to log into data entry once before you can log into BNA).