Pine Siskin Irruption

Not every year will you get to see Pine Siskins.   This little brown striped bird with a hint of yellow is a member of the Finch Family, and usually hangs out in the boreal forests of Canada. But, as happens every few years when the cone supply is scarce,  they push south as far as Mexico in search of cones with seeds, in what is known as an irruption year. This year their numbers are phenomenal, with the National Audubon Society reporting that without question, it is one of the biggest irruption years in recorded history.

The top photo is a close-up of a Pine Siskin harvesting seeds from a fir tree cone at the Dallas Retirement Village on Dec 1.  The lower photo shows a Pine Siskin harvesting seeds from a Red Alder tree cone along the Rickreall Creek Trail System in Dallas on Dec 6.