A Remarkable Fall Continues...

As we move into late fall, I continue to be amazed.  The past few weeks have brought change and a few more surprises.  I am hearing reports of Selasphoros hummingbirds from several places in southeast Pennsylvania, and the influx of irruptive species continues.

What is an irruptive species?  These are the wonderful Pine Siskins, Redpolls, Red-Breasted Nuthatches and Purple Finches that have found themselves further south than their normal winter range.  They are looking for food, since there was a fruit and seed crop failure in the Canadian forests.  Here is a link to a great Winter Finch Forcast http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/ff2012.  Maybe I will even see some Evening Grosbeaks by the end of the year!

Current Events

Since my last blog, the east coast has taken a beating from Hurricane Sandy and the weather has gotten more chilly.  In the week after Sandy the Pine Siskens and then the Goldfinches that had monopolized my Nyjer feeder began to disappear.  I am not sure where my local Goldfinches go this time of year, but it seems every year about the same time they move to a different location and return again in the early spring.  I guess this year the Pine Siskens went with them!

Record Breakers

This is the third year that I have participated in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project Feederwatch,  and for me it has already been a record breaker.  Last weekend there were 16 species at my feeders including everything from a flock of four Mourning Doves to the lovely little Red-Breasted Nuthatch.  This was a record number of species for my yard, the previous being 15 species one weekend last year.    The only other thing that could have topped my list last weekend would have been if the Sharp-Shinned Hawk that had been stalking my feeders a couple of days before had shown up again.

A Sharp-Shinned Hawk eyes a bird above him...his next meal? The small head in proportion to body size makes this most likely a Sharp-Shinned and not a Coopers Hawk.

  

Today I have already spotted a female Purple finch and a Black- Capped Chickadee.  I can't wait to see what the rest of this weekend has in store!

Female Purple Finch, note heavily streaked facial markings & chunky body.  Definitely not a House Finch!