Bird report for last two weeks of November

The wintery weather during the last two weeks of November set the stage nicely for the arrival of winter finches from the coniferous forests far north. During the last week of the month we had at least two visits from small flocks (2-3) of Pine Siskins. These very active little birds are similar in shape to that of a Goldfinch, but their bills are longer and slimmer. A Siskin’s body and head are also distinctly streaked. On one occasion I watched a Siskin hang upside down and pester a Goldfinch until it had had enough, at which point the Siskin assumed a choice perch lower on the niger tube. My favorite thing about these birds is their unique humming, buzzing, “zzz-ing” calls that fill the air as a flock springs out from a tree, swirling back and forth and round-about.

On the last day of the month I got a call from my wife alerting me to a flock of Snow Buntings that she had just spotted on the fields surrounding the high school. Another winter visitor from northern latitudes, aka the Arctic Tundra, these chunky ground dwelling birds feed mostly in fields and farm yards. Bluebird in size, their snow-white underparts contrast with black wing tips and rufous overtones.

Other notables include two Carolina wrens at our mealworm station (as a side note, this is the first time in several years that I have seen two such birds in the same patch together). A solitary Brown Creeper was spied along Shore Road. It’s not always easy to see these birds on a tree as they blend in very well with the trunks and seem to spend most of the time out of sight.

With December already upon us now I’ve got my fingers crossed for a flock of Evening Grosbeaks. I have seen reports of Grosbeaks at feeders as close as Scarborough and as far south as Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard.