Look Who’s Coming to Dinner: Snowbirds from the north country

(Chelsea Update would like to thank Tom Hodgson for the information and photos in this column.)

The majority of the birds coming to our feeders are year-round residents. A few, however, only visit our back yards in winter.

Here are some that are currently being seen in the Chelsea area.

Dark-eyed Junco:

Juncos nest in the upper half of the Lower Peninsula, but only visit our neighborhoods after the breeding season. The first birds are usually sighted in late September or early October; and the last leave in late April.

Juncos prefer to feed on the ground.

American Tree Sparrow:

This bird has come all the way from tundra, Alaska and Northern Canada to spend the winter with us.

It wears a rusty, red cap on its head, and has gray under-parts accentuated with a black stick pin (spot) on the breast.

In spite of its name, it is primarily a ground feeder.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch:

Another “upside down bird.” Like its larger cousin the white-breasted nuthatch, it will walk head-first down a tree trunk in search of winter insects and insect eggs.

It also likes sunflower seeds and suet.  The red-breasted nuthatch is a permanent resident of the northern half of the state, but will move south into our neighborhoods when food is scarce up north.

As a result, some winters we see many, and during other winters, they are totally absent.

Pine Siskin:

A small brown, sparrow-sized bird with a heavily streaked body, the pine siskin is an uncommon permanent resident of the northern half of the state.

This bird may also show a wash of yellow on the wing and tail feathers.

Winter flocks of siskins can be very common here in years when food is scarce further north, and absent in other years.

 

Fox Sparrow:

Lucky is the back yard bird watcher that has a fox sparrow or two coming to the feeder.

Most of these birds are only here briefly on their way to states further south.

This winter there seem to be a few still hanging around.

(Publisher’s note: Part three of this series will run next Sunday.)