Every winter is different. Somehow, it took me most of my life to figure that out.
I spent three days in the North Maine Woods last week, and I’m here to report that this winter is vastly different from last winter. The number of pine siskins was outrageous. They outnumbered an insane abundance of white-winged crossbills.
Pine siskins and white-winged crossbills were scarce last year. Two years ago, they were
abundant. Both species nest in Maine, but many more come down from Canada in some years.
It all depends on where they find the best food and weather. This year, Maine’s got what they want.
Purple finches nest all over Maine. Some years, including the last one, they abandon Maine in winter. This year, they stayed. I found more purple finches in the North Maine Woods than any of the last three years. They were easy.
On the other hand, common redpolls were scarce. I heard two and saw none. They were widespread during the last two winters. The same goes for pine grosbeaks and red crossbills. I didn’t encounter a single American goldfinch.
Many species are nomadic, but none more so than finches. Every winter, they wander until they find food, then settle down for a while.
Finches come in three sizes. American goldfinches, pine siskins, and common redpolls are the smallest, about warbler-size. White-winged crossbills, red crossbills and purple finches are slightly larger, about the size of a big sparrow. Pine grosbeaks and evening grosbeaks are robin-sized.
Maine also has house finches, which are similar to purple finches. But they rarely get near the woods. They’re happiest in suburbia.
A hoary redpoll is also possible in any flock of common redpolls, but they are rare. I’ve seen just two over the last three winters. They are so similar to the common redpolls that they might be the same species.
Some ornithologists suspect the hoary redpoll is just a frostier version of the common redpoll. They overlap across their arctic breeding range, but the hoary range extends farther north.
Each finch species shares the wandering behavior, but differs somewhat in diet and habit. Thus, multiple species can gather in the same area without competing for food. Some species can find all their food somewhere else and not bother to visit Maine, while others invade the state.
The mix of finches in the Maine woods varies every year.
But this is a good winter overall. Last winter was dull. The previous winter was incredible. Every species that could be here was in 2022.
Beware. I’m describing the North Maine Woods, but Maine is more complicated than that. Maine is a mosaic of habitats, and some places are more appealing than others for each species.
For instance, white-winged crossbills are particularly fond of black spruce cones, which are plentiful in the Allagash region. Red crossbills seem to prefer red spruce cones, which are more common along the coast and on mountains. Both species can irrupt into Maine, but they might go to different places.
Last winter, I didn’t find that many red crossbills up north, but had little trouble grabbing a few Down East. Even now, there are some in the area around Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Milford.
Likewise, pine siskins prefer the seeds of alder, birch and fir. Redpolls are more likely to dine on the catkins of willow, birch and aspen. Goldfinches also dine on the seeds of birch and alder, but rely more on the grass and weed seeds.
The three species can mix with each other, but they’re more likely to divide up the state according to where their favorite foods are.
This affects what happens at backyard bird feeders. Some winters, the birds are happy to stay in the woods. In other years, they’ll crowd feeders. They just go where the food is. Sometimes they stay out of Maine altogether.
I had no goldfinches in the north woods, but there are plenty around Bangor. I’m watching a small flock at my feeder right now. But I haven’t seen a single pine siskin at the feeder this winter.
Last year, the Allagash area was quiet. Even some of the year-round birds departed. Black-capped chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches and blue jays fled the woods. Many left the state.
The remainder flooded the coast. I heard from Hancock County backyard birders last winter that the birds were emptying their feeders at an astounding pace.
So every winter is different, and every winter I go into the woods just to check on it.
