Birdfeeder Watching This Winter

Along with higher numbers of goldfinches and pine siskins, there may also be more Evening Grosbeaks visiting feeders in the lower 48 this winter. A good time then to find a good feeder and set it up for black oil sunflower seed and another for thistle seed.

This Could Be the Winter You Get Evening Grosbeaks at Your Feeder | All About Birds

I've already seen one rather uncommon bird pass through Hillsdale. Mid-October a Mississippi Kite flew overhead shortly after one of those big west-to-east storms we had. One of those blink twice and rub eyes kind of sightings. But they aren't feeder birds(!) and they are known to go astray northwards in the fall and spring.

The combination of early winter fronts and strong summer storms has really messed up the migration patterns for a lot of birds. We're going to be seeing all kinds of interesting species across the United States this year. It's a year to put out different kinds of bird feeders and keep binoculars (and a camera) nearby.

I had RedBrested Nuthach a couple of weeks ago... I have had a couple of them for 2-3 years before no sightings last year.