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The Kitchen Table

One more bird photo; Common Redpolls

11 years ago

Here are a few more of my winter visitors, Common Redpolls; they are lively little creatures. Sometimes there are dozens of them gleaning food from the ground under the feeder tree.

There are three redpolls on the feeder, plus a male and female crossbill. I believe the fluffy feathery bum is another female crossbill, but it's hard to tell.

They love the black oil sunflower seeds and suet, but I've not seen them eating the peanuts.

Here's a description from Cornell Lab...

"As energetic as their electric zapping call notes would suggest, Common Redpolls are active foragers that travel in busy flocks. Look for them feeding on catkins in birch trees or visiting feeders in winter. These small finches of the arctic tundra and boreal forest migrate erratically, and they occasionally show up in large numbers as far south as the central U.S. During such irruption years, redpolls often congregate at bird feeders (particularly thistle or nyjer seed), allowing delightfully close looks.

I don't offer thistle in a feeder then can access, but they can sure scarf down the BOSS. It's high in fat and all the feeder birds seem to prefer it. I offer it in different types of feeders to suit they preferences.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell Lab of Orinthology, Common Redpoll page

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Comments (7)

alisande
11 years ago
In the early 1970s I hand-tamed the wild birds at my feeder one winter. It started with chickadees and progressed to the others, including Evening Grosbeaks. In spring, a flock of migrating Redpolls came by. Seeing Grosbeaks all over me (head, shoulders, etc.), they must have figured I was a safe feeding station because they landed on me too. It was as sweet as it was interesting.
gazania_gw
11 years ago
Love the red poll. Such a perky little bird. Several years ago in an irruption year we had red polls along with pine siskins in large numbers. We actually had more of those two cheerful little birds that goldfinches, normally our most numerous winter feeders.
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Thank you so much Rachel and Konrad. This has just been so wildly exciting for me. So I know I have had visits from at least two female Common Redpolls, since one is lighter than the other. What a gift! Konrad, your photo is just fabulous. It really helps me to see the difference. I have one that was lighter than the other, but not nearly as white as the one in your photo. Thanks so much for your help.
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I hear you on the Redpolls, I was thrilled in February when they stopped and stayed at my place but now over a month later I am kinda ready for this 100+ flock to head north, I know it should be soon. They aren't aggressive but their sheer numbers are keeping the other birds away from the feeders. One morning I counted 114 of them out there! It is crazy! I only have one thistle feeder which they are all over but I also sprinkle sunflower chips on the deck which they love too. I am finally starting to see other birds coming back, saw the first Robins this morning followed by the first Grackle and first Redwing blackbird of the year too. I am in central WI. I am sure with the summer birds arriving these winter birds will be leaving. I am still glad they stopped and stayed though, they have provided hours of entertainment watching them swoop in in a flock and take off in a flock only to turn around and come back again. Funny little birds. Donna
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Thanks! Still behind; I have another web album of photos I've not yet posted. We camped in the yard last night as usual in our screen tent, and apparently the jaguar is back..the dogs suddenly went crazy and we heard the strangest, loudest noises. I went online and found some of what we heard on this link-scroll down to audio clip http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jaguar.html Besides the wails, grunts, rumbles, it also kept making explosive snorts..like an alarmed deer, except MUCH louder, more explosive, lower down, and dragged on and on until my bones vibrated. It seemed the sound wrapped around the tent, and I didn't know where to point the huge spotlight we keep next to us. DuBois plant to take a tape recorder with us this time, in case it returns. I also plan to download jaguar sounds and play them next to my web cams on the hill to see if we can lure it in for a photo. We've not seen its tracks since this march..guess it has a huge territory. Our neighbor was approached by a half grown black jaguar while hunting on our property in the fall of 2006 so it should nearly mature now. Just this spring, another neighbor a few miles away spotted a black jaguar on his farm, so it's still alive. Photo of suspected jaguar track, click on "full screen" http://picasaweb.google.com/rachelbro3/BigFootTracksScat#5317982295991557506
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kacram
11 years ago
Nice! thank you for posting all your pics. I have really enjoyed looking at them!
jemdandy
11 years ago
Thanks for posting. Those perky red polls are hard to photograph because they are never still. When we moved into our new house in 1976, we saw read polls on occassion and then as other subdivisions sprang up around our little town, the red polls disappeared. I haven't seen any in 15 years.

Another factor may have been a wipeout. About 15 years ago, a bird flu decimated our sparrow population that winter and they have not rebounded. It is only now that I see an occassional sparrow at the feeder. That disease may have wiped the red polls as well.
marilyn_c
11 years ago
What beautiful little birds. I have never seen one before. I saw an Indigo Bunting the other day, and I was surprised to see just one and this time of year. Usually see a flock of them at a time in the spring, as they migrate through here. They love mulberries and I have mulberry trees, just for them...although I am sure other birds (and animals) eat the mulberries too.
moonie_57 (8 NC)
11 years ago
Pretty little birds! I don't believe we have them here along the coast of NC.
chisue
11 years ago
Like jemdandy, a lot of our common birds have not made a comeback from the avian flu. I rarely see crows or bluejays. There's a creek on one side of our property where some robins overwinter and where a great heron spends his summer. Migratory birds 'stop by' for a day or so. We had such drought this summer that the creek was reduced to a narrow trickle.

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