Will this winter bring unusual northern birds to our feeders?
Yes, probably purple finches. Maybe redpolls. I know this because I read the Winter Finch Forecast.
Every fall Ron Pittaway produces a Winter Finch Forecast for Canada that predicts the travels of seed eating birds and three other species that often irrupt when finches do. When he says a species will leave Ontario, it will probably come to Pennsylvania.
To make his prediction Pittaway looks at Canada’s forests from a seed eater’s perspective. This year purple finch foods are in low supply on Canada’s trees so he predicts that “Many (not all) should migrate south out of Ontario this fall.”
Get ready for purple finches by offering sunflower seeds at your feeders.
And learn to tell the difference between house finches (already at your feeders) and purple finches (who aren’t here yet). Click here for comparison photos and a discussion of Purple versus House.
| House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) | Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) |
| Year round resident throughout PA | A northern finch, not common in southern PA |
| Male (red and brown): Basically a brown bird with red or orange accents, especially on his head. | Male (rosy): Head, back, breast are rosy as if the bird was dipped head first in berry juice. |
| Male (red and brown): Has brown stripes on flanks. | Male (rosy): Has rosy stripes on flanks. |
| Female (brown): Looks gray-brown overall. Has muted, blurry stripes on breast and flanks. | Female (brown): Has dark brown flecked stripes on breast and flanks. |
| May have squared off tail | Always has notched tail |
The bird pictured above has rosy stripes on his flanks. Guess who!
Read Ron Pittaway’s 2015-2016 Winter Finch Forecast for news of redpolls, grosbeaks, blue jays and more.
(photo by Brian Herman)
Are we talking black oil sunflower seeds, or striped sunflower seeds for those Purple Finches? Any preference by the Evening Grosbeaks that you might know of, either?
Steve, the Winter Finch Forecast isn’t specific about *which* sunflower seeds. It is specific about grosbeaks, though. Read more here: http://jeaniron.ca/2015/forecast15.htm