All,

There are several factors suggesting that recreational birdfeeding is at
least playing a role in the alteration of the winter range of Lesser
Goldfinch: the recent surge in the popularity of nyjer seed among feeding
enthusiasts throughout the interior West; the fact that the vast majority of
non-migrating individuals are found in residential areas; the caloric
demands faced by the Lesser Goldfinch, one of North America's smallest
passerines, in areas where January's mean temperature fails to reach
freezing; and the rearing of broods months before natural foods, normally
key to this process, are replenished.

Regards,
Jason Rogers
Banff, AB
hawkowl at hotmail.com