Tag: nomad

Pine Siskins, Nomadic Finches

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

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1.26.2026

Pine Siskins are nomadic little finches that wander the northern hemisphere, taking advantage of plentiful food supplies. This has been a “cone year” in our area, and the Pine siskins have been abundant. Gregarious little birds, they travel in flocks of up to 1000, their high-pitched chatter announcing their presence. Some years we don’t see them at all; other times, the Christmas Bird Count reports their numbers in the thousands.

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Crossbills: One of a Kind in the World

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

A few of the flock of Red Crossbills at their daily visit for water 10.02.2020

The only species in the world with crossed bills and many other unique traits that are under scientific scrutiny, Crossbills visit our valley sometimes during periods of heavy cone crops on our Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine trees. Though I rarely saw them feeding on cones during the summer of 2020, a flock of Red Crossbills and Pine siskins made daily visits to our yard for water. The rustle of taffeta petticoats alerted me to their arrival as they landed in the larch trees behind the water pans by the garden. The brown-striped attire of juvenile Crossbills gave me some difficulty distinguishing them from the ever-present Pine Siskins when many of them landed in the water pan at once! Read on for more about these colorful, entertaining, unique birds!

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Red Crossbills Year ’round

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Three Red Crossbills up on the roof 10.29.18

Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) are a colorful lot that spend most of their time in the tops of conifer trees where they use their specialized bills to pry open the scales of the cones to retrieve seeds. If you’re fortunate enough to get to know these acrobatic little birds, they will show you many other aspects of their lives.

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