I am having flocks of these little birds, along with Pine Siskin's, eating all my seed. Are these house finches? They are eating the thistle and the sunflower seeds. Newnan, Georgia.
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#1
BirdieBetsy
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 01:52 PM
#2
jdeitsch
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 01:54 PM
These are all Pine Siskins, a House Finch wouldn't have any yellow, they would also have bigger bills. 
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#3
BirdieBetsy
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 02:08 PM
Ok...wow...hungry little birds! Thanks.
#4
Carolina
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 02:11 PM
These are all Pine Siskins, a House Finch wouldn't have any yellow, they would also have bigger bills.
Agree. All of the birds in this photo are Pine Siskins.
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#5
Carolina
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 02:16 PM
Ok...wow...hungry little birds! Thanks.
Am seeing reports of hundreds of Pine Siskins at backyard feeders in NC, SC & GA in the past week. Everyone is saying that the Pine Siskins are cleaning out their feeders by midday so you are not alone.
Life list total~165
One seen but no photo...YET! (Chuck-will’s-widow ) & One heard only (Eastern Screech-Owl)
Yard list ~ 61
Work list ~ 105 (Office with a view)
Many Many Many Thanks to all here at Whatbird for your help extraordinaire...
#6
BarnSwallow
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 02:35 PM
Consider yourself lucky - I live in MD, and this year is only the second time in 25 years of bird feeding that I have ever had pine siskins!
#7
cany
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 05:11 PM
Consider yourself lucky - I live in MD, and this year is only the second time in 25 years of bird feeding that I have ever had pine siskins!
Any thoughts about why? It's interesting!
New Birder January 1, 2013
Life list: 178
Orange-crowned warbler, Pacific-slope flycatcher, Swainson's thrush, Red-throated loon, Clapper rail, Warbling vireo, Gray flycatcher, MacGullivray's warbler, Western wood-pewee, Reddish egret, Least tern, California gnatcatcher, Peregrine falcon, Black skimmer, Long-billed curlew, Semipalmated plover, Dunlin, Black-bellied plover, Red-breasted merganser, Cliff swallow, Great horned owl, Blue grosbeak, Yellow-breasted chat, Bell's vireo, Lazuli bunting, Black-chinned hummingbird, Green heron, Nashville warbler, Townsend's warbler, Black-throated gray warbler, Ross's goose, Horned grebe, Marbled godwit, Forester's tern, Brant, Western tanager, Bullock's oriole, Yellow warbler, Barn swallow, Brewer's blackbird, Brown-headed cowbird, Ash-throated flycatcher, Ruby-crowned kinglet, Black-headed grosbeak, Willet, California gull, Western gull, Ring-billed gull, Heermann's gull, Brown pelican, Red-throated loon, Royal tern, Elegant tern, Least sandpiper, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Redhead duck, Greater scaup, Western sandpiper, Least bittern, White-faced ibis, Blue-winged teal, Greater white-fronted goose, Golden eagle, Zone-tailed hawk, Rufous-crowned sparrow, Sharp-shinned hawk, Common ground-dove, Black-throated green warbler (continuing bird), Wilson's warbler, Common yellowthroat, House wren, Chipping sparrow, Hooded oriole, House sparrow, Song sparrow, Cactus wren, Western kingbird, Red-breasted sapsucker, Downey woodpecker, Bullock's oriole, Common poorwill, American robin, Cooper's hawk, Dowitcher sp., Red-winged blackbird, Greater yellowlegs, Common gallinule, Gadwell, Black-neck stilt, Cinnamon teal, American avocet, Cassin's kingbird, Lark sparrow, Killdeer, Pine siskin, Spotted sandpiper, Egyptian goose, Northern shoveler, Hooded merganser, Canada goose, American goldfinch, Lesser scaup
Having a blast!
#8
Kerryks
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 05:18 PM
I usually see them. This year non. They all bypassed me and flew south. lol
#9
ololaiki
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 05:29 PM
They come and go. I never know how many of them would come, when and for how long they'd stay. There could be just a couple of them or a hundred, they'd spend an hour or stay for a month. It's always fun to watch them
Sometimes they bring other finches with them. Three days ago there were Red Crossbills!
Sometimes they bring other finches with them. Three days ago there were Red Crossbills!
#10
BarnSwallow
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 07:04 PM
Any thoughts about why? It's interesting!
This year is an irruption year for northern finches - there are a lot more of them coming a lot farther south than usual. They are normally seen in MD in winter, but very sporadically. When they were here in November, they were with a couple dozen purple finches. I normally get 2 or 3 purples a year, and only in the dead of winter.
#11
TheBillyPilgrim
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Frank
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 07:20 PM
Any thoughts about why? It's interesting!
There's a poor cone crop on a lot of conifers in the finches normal range (probably due to the drought this year), so they're irrupting further south than usual in search of food.
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Latest birds: Purple Sandpiper, Ross's Goose, White-winged Crossbill,
2013: 362 species
My Flickr
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Costa Rica Trip Report: http://www.whatbird....rt/#entry396425
#12
cany
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 07:27 PM
There's a poor cone crop on a lot of conifers in the finches normal range (probably due to the drought this year), so they're irrupting further south than usual in search of food.
Makes perfect sense. Thank you! I realize sometimes we may never understand why some things happen, but other times (like this) we can! I appreciate it.
New Birder January 1, 2013
Life list: 178
Orange-crowned warbler, Pacific-slope flycatcher, Swainson's thrush, Red-throated loon, Clapper rail, Warbling vireo, Gray flycatcher, MacGullivray's warbler, Western wood-pewee, Reddish egret, Least tern, California gnatcatcher, Peregrine falcon, Black skimmer, Long-billed curlew, Semipalmated plover, Dunlin, Black-bellied plover, Red-breasted merganser, Cliff swallow, Great horned owl, Blue grosbeak, Yellow-breasted chat, Bell's vireo, Lazuli bunting, Black-chinned hummingbird, Green heron, Nashville warbler, Townsend's warbler, Black-throated gray warbler, Ross's goose, Horned grebe, Marbled godwit, Forester's tern, Brant, Western tanager, Bullock's oriole, Yellow warbler, Barn swallow, Brewer's blackbird, Brown-headed cowbird, Ash-throated flycatcher, Ruby-crowned kinglet, Black-headed grosbeak, Willet, California gull, Western gull, Ring-billed gull, Heermann's gull, Brown pelican, Red-throated loon, Royal tern, Elegant tern, Least sandpiper, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Redhead duck, Greater scaup, Western sandpiper, Least bittern, White-faced ibis, Blue-winged teal, Greater white-fronted goose, Golden eagle, Zone-tailed hawk, Rufous-crowned sparrow, Sharp-shinned hawk, Common ground-dove, Black-throated green warbler (continuing bird), Wilson's warbler, Common yellowthroat, House wren, Chipping sparrow, Hooded oriole, House sparrow, Song sparrow, Cactus wren, Western kingbird, Red-breasted sapsucker, Downey woodpecker, Bullock's oriole, Common poorwill, American robin, Cooper's hawk, Dowitcher sp., Red-winged blackbird, Greater yellowlegs, Common gallinule, Gadwell, Black-neck stilt, Cinnamon teal, American avocet, Cassin's kingbird, Lark sparrow, Killdeer, Pine siskin, Spotted sandpiper, Egyptian goose, Northern shoveler, Hooded merganser, Canada goose, American goldfinch, Lesser scaup
Having a blast!
#13
lopinweapon
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 08:16 PM
The goldfinches are cleaning my feeders out I know that I have over 50 here daily in the last week.
#14
cany
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 09:04 PM
The goldfinches are cleaning my feeders out I know that I have over 50 here daily in the last week.
Yep. I had almost none a month ago, now my feeder is almost too small and I am thinking about getting a bigger one:) I just looked out there and it's covered with more perching nearby.
New Birder January 1, 2013
Life list: 178
Orange-crowned warbler, Pacific-slope flycatcher, Swainson's thrush, Red-throated loon, Clapper rail, Warbling vireo, Gray flycatcher, MacGullivray's warbler, Western wood-pewee, Reddish egret, Least tern, California gnatcatcher, Peregrine falcon, Black skimmer, Long-billed curlew, Semipalmated plover, Dunlin, Black-bellied plover, Red-breasted merganser, Cliff swallow, Great horned owl, Blue grosbeak, Yellow-breasted chat, Bell's vireo, Lazuli bunting, Black-chinned hummingbird, Green heron, Nashville warbler, Townsend's warbler, Black-throated gray warbler, Ross's goose, Horned grebe, Marbled godwit, Forester's tern, Brant, Western tanager, Bullock's oriole, Yellow warbler, Barn swallow, Brewer's blackbird, Brown-headed cowbird, Ash-throated flycatcher, Ruby-crowned kinglet, Black-headed grosbeak, Willet, California gull, Western gull, Ring-billed gull, Heermann's gull, Brown pelican, Red-throated loon, Royal tern, Elegant tern, Least sandpiper, Sanderling, Whimbrel, Redhead duck, Greater scaup, Western sandpiper, Least bittern, White-faced ibis, Blue-winged teal, Greater white-fronted goose, Golden eagle, Zone-tailed hawk, Rufous-crowned sparrow, Sharp-shinned hawk, Common ground-dove, Black-throated green warbler (continuing bird), Wilson's warbler, Common yellowthroat, House wren, Chipping sparrow, Hooded oriole, House sparrow, Song sparrow, Cactus wren, Western kingbird, Red-breasted sapsucker, Downey woodpecker, Bullock's oriole, Common poorwill, American robin, Cooper's hawk, Dowitcher sp., Red-winged blackbird, Greater yellowlegs, Common gallinule, Gadwell, Black-neck stilt, Cinnamon teal, American avocet, Cassin's kingbird, Lark sparrow, Killdeer, Pine siskin, Spotted sandpiper, Egyptian goose, Northern shoveler, Hooded merganser, Canada goose, American goldfinch, Lesser scaup
Having a blast!
#15
JimUSNY
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 11:46 PM
be glad its not a flock of 200 redpolls.. I have had lots of siskins and 100's of goldfinches, nothing eats thistle faster than redpolls
Mid Hudson Valley in Upstate NY
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#16
Julie H
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Posted 08 February 2013 - 03:49 AM
I had dozens and dozens of Pine Siskins this morning. It was 56 degrees out there, and with the spring-like weather, I think they're on the move early. we've had an exceptionally dry January, I'm seeing birds I don't normally see until later in the spring.
Julie
Julie
#17
BirdieBetsy
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Posted 09 February 2013 - 02:17 PM
Thanks for all the information....I do think there are some finches mixed in...and yes, I do consider myself lucky to see all these beautiful little birds enjoying my seed. I probably have about 18 various feeders so it is fun to watch them.
#18
tama
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tama
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Posted 10 February 2013 - 05:55 AM
haven't seen any of them in my back yard feeder and I am in NW of GA.... 
#19
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Posted 10 February 2013 - 08:03 AM
pine siskins are interuptive, absent one year and around the next, you never know when they will show up
#20
BarnSwallow
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Posted 10 February 2013 - 12:51 PM
I think you mean irruptive. I explained that up in post #10. Even in areas where they are expected to be seen in winter, they are sporadic - traveling around, showing up for a few days, then disappearing.
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