That must have been thrilling! If my dry streak keeps up I'm going to have to start thinking about going to them instead of waiting for them to come to me
Ohh I know the crazy shit. Lolol. Chased a ruby topaz hummingbird in Trinidad for a week. Was staying at AsaWright lodge on a trip led by David Sibley. I was obsessed. I understand. Got it in the end. So survive the frozen tundra of Quebec and find that bird.
I have been lucky enough to have both Evening Grosbeaks and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at my feeders. They will show up for a day or two, and then move on, despite my varied offerings, much to my dismay. I do tend to have a large flock of Purple Finches every summer, which are always enjoyable. I was actually excited to see a few House Finches among them last year, because for some reason I rarely see those here. The American Goldfinches are my year-round unpaid tenants, eating me out of house and home. I have no idea how they survive the bitter cold winters, but at least they always know where to find a free meal.
Goldfinches are amazing that way. They're so tiny and adorable but also tough and hardy. My feeders are swarmed too.
I've never lived anywhere that House Finches are scarce, but they are relative newcomers to the east, so maybe New Brunswick just hasn't had the full-on invasion...yet
Thank you for this wonderful article. i did take a video of some of the ‘tsunami of charm’ that flooded my feeders but I do not know if you saw it. I wish I could have captured the Invasion today of the Tiny Flying Pigs (Lesser GFs). Decimated my nyjer seed supply.
Wonderful photos, Nate. I've never seen an Evening Grosbeak. I tend to find seasons defined by irruptive species, then I get a nice dry spell. Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, the list goes on. Luckily when they're abundant I get enough photos to tide me over. Red Crossbill photos I have are predominantly from 2020 all these years later.
Thank you James! That 2020 year was such a good irruption. I didn't even realize at the time that the photos I was taking were the product of that special event
Thanks for reading! I need to comb through your posts to find some of those photos!
I had that last year! It was incredible. The sound! They came from Scandinavia apparently. This year I haven’t seen any flocks- just an occasional individual. They arrived mid January last year- I haven’t given up hope just yet.
You've been blessed by visits from so many finches! I may need to steal your bird feeder setup. I only get House Finches at mine, and I think I’d die if a Purple Finch—or, dare I even speak it, a Pine Siskin—showed up. Let me know when the Evening Grosbeaks show up (so I can subtly redirect them to my feeders).
I also loved reading about your non-yard finches. I can imagine the magnificence of the White Crossbills on that tree, it's almost better than an actual photo! But I'm still broken up over the loss of the Hoary Redpoll. I think that bird might be too heavily streaked to be one, though who am I to say? Not that it matters anymore... does anything matter anymore without the Hoary Redpoll??
When an Evening Grosbeak shows up, you will hear a distant OH MY FUCKING GOD echoing over the hills and valleys. That's how you'll know it has happened
Yeah, of course it's a Common-type Redpoll. But it does have a pretty frosty appearance behind those streaks. And you know what? It is a Hoary-type. Screw it. Why not?
Wonderfully told finch saga, Nate! It was fun to read the history of birds that visited yards of your various homes, see your grandfathers notes, and I love all the photos. I have to say my favorite was the bare tree where you saw the WWCR, because I take those too 😂. I’ve missed both species of crossbills and Evening Grossbeaks every time they’ve visited Chicago since I started birding. My Bird Buddy (bird feeder with a camera) had the audacity to tell me an Evening Grossbeak was spotted in my yard this week, but it was in fact a House Sparrow. Someday…Wishing you luck and that your plea to the Evening Grossbeaks will work soon!
I'm loving living vicariously through your posts, Nate. Had to remove our feeders due to rodent visits...I'll find that picture soon enough and when you see it, you'll laugh...but we do keep our water stations full and have enjoyed sharing our yard with birds in that way. Currently it's Eastern Bluebirds by the dozens (they're all vying for nesting space right now and checking the dryers in the nestboxes for forgotten underwear) and yellow rumped warblers, chickadees, Red breasted woodpeckers, robins, house finches, and a few goldfinches.
Ahhh the rodents. They were a problem here when we moved in, made worse by the feeders. We had a family of squirrels living in the attic. Terrible racket above the master bedroom. Solved that issue, but the yard is overrun. Oh well
This was a really awesome post. To have 137 bird species in your yard alone is envious! What a paradise you live in right now. I especially love the pine siskins, they remind me of cedar waxwings with their markings and coloration.
Thank you, Aria!! When we bought this house, we had no idea there was a sizeable creek behind it. Amazing what water can do for your bird count. Hoping the re-nativing project in our yard attracts even more!
I know what you mean with the Purple Finch vs. House Finch comparison. In my first few weeks of birding some years ago, I too talked myself into thinking I had seen a male Purple Finch. That first one was actually a House Finch that I retroactively reidentified after seeing a true Purple Finch. I actually laughed a litlte out loud when I saw my first Purple Finch. haha.
That is sad about the staggering loss of numbers in the Evening Grosbeaks. I have had the opportunity to see them several times here in Ottawa Ontario over the years. Hopefully their numbers recover and some find their way to your neck of the woods. Thanks for sharing and great breakdown of local sighting.
Ha! Yes, I retroactively took away a Purple Finch too the first time I saw them for real. I knew immediately I had never seen them before. Tricky part is how close in color they can be when you find a rather pale House Finch.
The drop in Evening Grosbeaks is devastating. Luckily there are smart people trying to figure out exactly the cause(s) and how to reverse the trend.
Very sad that your yard has fallen victim to the trend of vanishing Evening Grosbeaks, but what a joy to see the Pine variety on an annual basis. I'm going to have to point the car northward to see a lot of these birds I think
That's a shame about your peas! I've had gardens pillaged by deer and rabbits, but never birds!
once living on a lake in Quebec north of Montreal we had a variety of grosbeaks and beauties they were. Hope your sign attracts them aplenty.
That must have been thrilling! If my dry streak keeps up I'm going to have to start thinking about going to them instead of waiting for them to come to me
Thanks for reading!!
consider avoiding Quebec until the thaw. LOL. it is only for the brave of heart to deal with minus 25
I'm brave! If there's a bird on the line, I'm VERY brave
Ohh I know the crazy shit. Lolol. Chased a ruby topaz hummingbird in Trinidad for a week. Was staying at AsaWright lodge on a trip led by David Sibley. I was obsessed. I understand. Got it in the end. So survive the frozen tundra of Quebec and find that bird.
So glad you have your fancy camera now. Another reason for the grosbeaks to come. They can get photographed in style!
I'll do them justice. They just gotta give me a chance!
I have been lucky enough to have both Evening Grosbeaks and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at my feeders. They will show up for a day or two, and then move on, despite my varied offerings, much to my dismay. I do tend to have a large flock of Purple Finches every summer, which are always enjoyable. I was actually excited to see a few House Finches among them last year, because for some reason I rarely see those here. The American Goldfinches are my year-round unpaid tenants, eating me out of house and home. I have no idea how they survive the bitter cold winters, but at least they always know where to find a free meal.
Goldfinches are amazing that way. They're so tiny and adorable but also tough and hardy. My feeders are swarmed too.
I've never lived anywhere that House Finches are scarce, but they are relative newcomers to the east, so maybe New Brunswick just hasn't had the full-on invasion...yet
Thanks for reading and subscribing!
Thank you for this wonderful article. i did take a video of some of the ‘tsunami of charm’ that flooded my feeders but I do not know if you saw it. I wish I could have captured the Invasion today of the Tiny Flying Pigs (Lesser GFs). Decimated my nyjer seed supply.
Thank you for reading!! I didn't see that video. When did you post it??
Wonderful photos, Nate. I've never seen an Evening Grosbeak. I tend to find seasons defined by irruptive species, then I get a nice dry spell. Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, the list goes on. Luckily when they're abundant I get enough photos to tide me over. Red Crossbill photos I have are predominantly from 2020 all these years later.
Thank you James! That 2020 year was such a good irruption. I didn't even realize at the time that the photos I was taking were the product of that special event
Thanks for reading! I need to comb through your posts to find some of those photos!
I love siskins!!
Me too! I really want a mob of them. Like 30 at my feeders. Just once in my life
I had that last year! It was incredible. The sound! They came from Scandinavia apparently. This year I haven’t seen any flocks- just an occasional individual. They arrived mid January last year- I haven’t given up hope just yet.
Siskins can make some sounds for sure! Here's hoping we get relentless gangs of them at our respective feeders
Thanks so much for subscribing!!!
Fingers crossed 🤞
You've been blessed by visits from so many finches! I may need to steal your bird feeder setup. I only get House Finches at mine, and I think I’d die if a Purple Finch—or, dare I even speak it, a Pine Siskin—showed up. Let me know when the Evening Grosbeaks show up (so I can subtly redirect them to my feeders).
I also loved reading about your non-yard finches. I can imagine the magnificence of the White Crossbills on that tree, it's almost better than an actual photo! But I'm still broken up over the loss of the Hoary Redpoll. I think that bird might be too heavily streaked to be one, though who am I to say? Not that it matters anymore... does anything matter anymore without the Hoary Redpoll??
When an Evening Grosbeak shows up, you will hear a distant OH MY FUCKING GOD echoing over the hills and valleys. That's how you'll know it has happened
Yeah, of course it's a Common-type Redpoll. But it does have a pretty frosty appearance behind those streaks. And you know what? It is a Hoary-type. Screw it. Why not?
Wonderfully told finch saga, Nate! It was fun to read the history of birds that visited yards of your various homes, see your grandfathers notes, and I love all the photos. I have to say my favorite was the bare tree where you saw the WWCR, because I take those too 😂. I’ve missed both species of crossbills and Evening Grossbeaks every time they’ve visited Chicago since I started birding. My Bird Buddy (bird feeder with a camera) had the audacity to tell me an Evening Grossbeak was spotted in my yard this week, but it was in fact a House Sparrow. Someday…Wishing you luck and that your plea to the Evening Grossbeaks will work soon!
Ohhh that feeder did you dirty! I can only imagine the flip your stomach did when the notification came up, then the disappointment
So many empty trees, railings, lamp posts, electrical lines captured in my photography lol. Glad I'm not the only one who captures the near misses!
Thank you for reading!!
I'm loving living vicariously through your posts, Nate. Had to remove our feeders due to rodent visits...I'll find that picture soon enough and when you see it, you'll laugh...but we do keep our water stations full and have enjoyed sharing our yard with birds in that way. Currently it's Eastern Bluebirds by the dozens (they're all vying for nesting space right now and checking the dryers in the nestboxes for forgotten underwear) and yellow rumped warblers, chickadees, Red breasted woodpeckers, robins, house finches, and a few goldfinches.
Ahhh the rodents. They were a problem here when we moved in, made worse by the feeders. We had a family of squirrels living in the attic. Terrible racket above the master bedroom. Solved that issue, but the yard is overrun. Oh well
Thanks for the kind words! I love your Ss too!!
This was a really awesome post. To have 137 bird species in your yard alone is envious! What a paradise you live in right now. I especially love the pine siskins, they remind me of cedar waxwings with their markings and coloration.
Thank you, Aria!! When we bought this house, we had no idea there was a sizeable creek behind it. Amazing what water can do for your bird count. Hoping the re-nativing project in our yard attracts even more!
I know what you mean with the Purple Finch vs. House Finch comparison. In my first few weeks of birding some years ago, I too talked myself into thinking I had seen a male Purple Finch. That first one was actually a House Finch that I retroactively reidentified after seeing a true Purple Finch. I actually laughed a litlte out loud when I saw my first Purple Finch. haha.
That is sad about the staggering loss of numbers in the Evening Grosbeaks. I have had the opportunity to see them several times here in Ottawa Ontario over the years. Hopefully their numbers recover and some find their way to your neck of the woods. Thanks for sharing and great breakdown of local sighting.
Ha! Yes, I retroactively took away a Purple Finch too the first time I saw them for real. I knew immediately I had never seen them before. Tricky part is how close in color they can be when you find a rather pale House Finch.
The drop in Evening Grosbeaks is devastating. Luckily there are smart people trying to figure out exactly the cause(s) and how to reverse the trend.
Thanks so much for reading!
Very sad that your yard has fallen victim to the trend of vanishing Evening Grosbeaks, but what a joy to see the Pine variety on an annual basis. I'm going to have to point the car northward to see a lot of these birds I think
That's a shame about your peas! I've had gardens pillaged by deer and rabbits, but never birds!