One and One and One is Three

Got to be good lookin' 'cause he's so hard to see.

OK, OK, I'm no John Lennon. Maybe a Julian, or Sean? Not a Yoko! C'mon! I get the message: less singing, more birdwatching.

Redpolls certainly are nice looking birds, a splashy combination of red, black, white, and yellow. And once they find your feeders, they're not hard to see. To me, they mean winter has arrived (in years when they aren't irrupting, well, it's just never really winter).

We were away for a few days over Thanksgiving, so we stocked the feeders and hoped any "new" birds would stick around to be appropriately recorded once we returned. And it actually worked: among the first birds seen following our return were Common Redpolls!

The first redpoll perches near the tube feeders, apparently
deciding whether to approach and find out what's inside.

A second redpoll eyes the suet, but eventually
opts out, favoring the thistle feeder.

A third redpoll is attracted to the seeds underneath the tube feeders.

Ultimately, they found their way to the source, with some
additional individuals: our high count was seven.

Not only did one and one and one eventually make seven, not three, Common Redpoll is the third winter finch species that found our feeders this season. First, the female Evening Grosbeak that showed up, then the Pine Siskins that settled down for a few days, and now this small group of Common Redpolls.

We have hosted a few other winter species of interest, the most atypical was the Northern Shrike that appeared the same day as the first (non-feeder) siskin. We also have Purple Finches continuing at our feeder, but these aren't as noteworthy as they are typically around. Ditto for the Red-breasted Nuthatches.

That's not to say the Purple Finches and Red-breasteds aren't interesting, they are making their own waves this season. During Thanksgiving in Chincoteague, VA, I found more Red-breasteds this year than any other my near-annual visits there. Even to the most casual observer there are clearly more around this year than in other years. And though I didn't find any in Virginia, Purple Finches are being reported in larger numbers and more frequently in southern areas than usual. More on these two birds in an upcoming post.

All in all, it's already been a very fun year for feederwatching, and we've only had the feeders up for a month! Can't wait to see how the rest of the season plays out; dare I wish for either species of crossbill in our grove of conifers? A visit from a Bohemian Waxwing on the berry bushes or Pine Grosbeaks on the crab apples? A Hoary Redpoll blending in with the Common Redpolls feeding on the birches, or under the feeder? Or some as-of-yet-unnamed rarity?

Or just "the usual suspects"?

The suspense is killing me!

Post title credit: Come Together (1969), The Beatles.