Greetings Tweets -

This year there has been quite the Pine Siskin invasion near and at
my place, a still patchily-forested area off the southwest side of
Black Lake in northwestern Thurston County. I've never quite seen the
likes of this before.

>From early January through late March there was a flock of ~50 Pine
Siskin in the area, which would show up at my place every week or two
to feed on Douglas-fir cones or at my feeders, and later on alder
cones. By March 20th I was recording a flock of ~30 daily. Because
I'm still sticking close to home as a result of a back injury in mid-
December, I've had the opportunity to record daily observations in my
journals. I still see a flock of ~30, but less often; I see lesser
numbers daily.

They are truly ravenous eaters! They have been going through the
thistle, millet and sunflower seed bird-feed like there's no
tomorrow. (At first I thought it was the ! at #%!! Eastern Gray
Squirrels.) This morning I watched a Pine Siskin at a tube feeder
eating sunflower seed. The bird was swallowing one every second or
two, a remarkable performance.

By comparison, the chickadees here, both Black-capped and Chestnut-
baked, will approach a feeder, take one sunflower seed, fly to a
nearby perch in a bush, and stand on the sunflower seed while they
rip it open and peck away at the meat.

On 2 April I got to thoroughly examine a "Yellow Male" nearly
identical to the illustration at page 534 of Sibley's first (2000)
edition field guide. I've glimpsed it occasionally since then.

Their flock behavior is curious. I often observe a flock of 10 to 20
swarming in my yard become alarmed - but not all of them. Upon some
alarm, maybe 1/2 to 2/3rds will instantly and in unison burst into
flight, all in the same direction, while the remainder go about their
business without apparently flinching.

Today, however, is one of those off days when hardly anyone is
singing or moving about, so I get to bring my journals up to date.

Doug

*****************************
Douglas Canning
Olympia, Washington
dcanning at zhonka.net
*****************************