"Irruption" basically means 'northern birds invading the south in search of food.' This is the case right now with Pine Siskins. These finches tend to stay in boreal forests in Canada and the western United States. But recently, birders in the states began noticing flocks of them. And this weekend in Central Park I not only saw my first-ever siskin, but my second, third, and — well, I lost count.
Oh hey there pine siskin lifer #birdcp pic.twitter.com/vNbLT8J2Nh
— Kate Hinds (@katehinds) November 1, 2020
Andrew Del-Colle is the site director and editor of Audubon.org; and he recently wrote "Pine Siskins Have Taken Over the Country."
"This happens to be a huge irruption year," he said. "We're seeing numbers across the U.S. like we've never seen before."
Pine Siskins at Sparrow Rock #birdcp pic.twitter.com/3dc7beSREe
— CAB (@cab1998) October 24, 2020
It's not just siskins who are on the move — other birds not normally seen here in large numbers, like Evening Grosbeaks, have also been spotted.
yes!!! yes!!! yes!!!!!!! evening grosbeaks have shown up across the country and have now invaded brooklyn as part of the largest food-driven southward movement this species has undertaken in decades. here's mr. handsome from green-wood today!https://t.co/9R7C7wOLJl pic.twitter.com/1x4CUpvhzb
— its me ryan (@RyanFMandelbaum) October 31, 2020
But it's the siskins who are the big standouts, with their little brown stripy bodies with flashes of yellow on the wing and tail, nudging sparrows aside at feeders.
"Hopefully they decide to leave peacefully," says Del-Colle, "because they have taken over."
Pine Siskins are hungry. This was full 24 hours ago. pic.twitter.com/AfRtmL6uXY
— 8BitBirder (@8bitbirder) November 3, 2020
Enjoy the siskins while they last — especially their song, which is often described as a 'hoarse goldfinch.' Because once the winter passes and they've stripped our pinecones and our feeders bare, it'll be back to springtime in Canada for them.