We begin with a short video of clips from our Stealth Cam near the garden, taken in January.
January 2024
Deer, a three-legged coyote and an opossum came through the garden in varying degrees of cold, snowy and wet conditions.
Rusty Blackbirds foraged under the Buttonbush shrubs during freezing rain on 1-22-24. Brrr!!
Now, let's take a closer look at Pine Siskins that have wintered here in our sanctuary.
3-24-13 Pine Siskins eating thistle seed in 12" of snow
1-14-19 Pine Siskin eating seeds from Bald Cypress catkins (Taxodium distichum x Shawnee Brave).
12-24-20 Pine Siskins eating Beebalm seeds (Monarda fistulosa) in the garden.
2-13-21 Pine Siskin eating Cliff Goldenrod seeds (Solidago drummondii).
Pine Siskins are attracted to our yard in large part because of the abundance of native plant and insect food.
One-sixth of their diet is insects (arthropods).
They will also feed on elm, maple and sweet gum seeds, E. red cedar, birch, spruce and pine.
1-27-21 Pine Siskins will also eat seeds and berries of native Lonicera spp. like our Coral Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).
12-13-20 We documented a green morph Pine Siskin.
As you can see, it is lighter in color with less dark streaking (less brown pigment)
and with yellow-gray-green tones on its back,(black and yellow pigments, carotenoids, retained) indicating a green morph.
What I learned just recently is that according to one study that examined 1500 specimens from 6 museum collections,
about 1% were found to be green morphs, all of which were male. Whether this plumage represents a true color morph or
individual variation remains uncertain. It's considered an aberrant plumage.
1-26-24 Six Pine Siskins three American Goldfinches
1-27-24 Two Pine Siskins
1-28-24 Green Morph and Two typical Pine Siskins
On 1-28-24, I had a high count of 12 Pine Siskins.
As you can tell, all of them are darkly streaked with the exception of the bird on the left in this last photo.
1-29-24 Three Pine Siskins
1-29-24 Green Morph Pine Siskin
1-29-24 Pine Siskin Composite with Green Morph
1-29-24 Two Pine Siskins, lower is Green Morph
Once again this winter, we have a green morph Pine Siskin. It was seen on three days. What a handsome bird!
Overall numbers have dropped as temperatures have warmed. The birds are foraging again for their native plant and insect foods.
1-25-24 Song Sparrow
A Song Sparrow popped out on 1-25-24.
1-27-24 Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker females
A female Downy Woodpecker waited for a turn at the suet while the Northern Flicker female took its time.
1-29-24 Cooper's Hawk in fog
Fog helped disguise this Cooper's Hawk as it flew through the woodland.
1-29-24 Blue Jay
1-29-24 Carolina Wrens
Once the hawk left, the Blue Jay and Carolina Wrens were back to business.
1-29-24 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker immature female
Another immature female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker hammered into old wells of sap to drink.
1-29-24 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker immature female
Isn't nature beautiful?!!
1-31-24 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker immature female
The sapsucker had worked so hard to get the sap flowing.
1-31-24 E. Gray Squirrel at sapsucker wells
Many will enjoy its efforts!