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Common redpolls have begun to visit feeders statewide, including southern counties that infrequently host this small finch from the far north. (Ryan Brady photo)

Prepare your bird feeders for influx of feathered friends, DNR says

By Ryan Brady

Bird activity has been good this month in most areas.

Feeder watchers are reporting excellent numbers of finches statewide, including American goldfinches, purple finches, pine siskins, and common redpolls. Goldfinches are unusually abundant in the northern part of the state, while redpolls have dipped atypically far south to the Illinois border and beyond. Expect numbers at feeders to increase throughout February and March as natural food supplies dwindle.

Black oil sunflower seed is the single best seed to offer at feeders. Consider dehulled hearts (or chips) for small finches. Nyjer (thistle) seed is also highly preferred but spoils quickly (sometimes on the shelf before purchased) and can cause it to go untouched.

Often overlooked, consider using a heated water feature as it’s popular among finches and attracts a variety of other species. As always, clean feeders every one to two weeks, refresh the water every one to two days, and watch for signs of disease among these high concentrations of birds. Learn more within the “Birdfeeder Tips” tab at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/birding.

Once your feeders are ready to go, mark your calendars for the next Great Backyard Bird Count taking place Feb. 18-21, 2022 where people watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds. Anyone can participate from across the world with as little as 15 minutes of time.

Away from feeders, it’s a good winter, even in southern Wisconsin, to find white-winged crossbills at small-coned conifers such as spruce and hemlock. Fruit sources are hosting fair to good numbers of pine grosbeaks and Bohemian waxwings in the northern half of the state south to Appleton. Cedar waxwings are prevalent statewide, along with smaller numbers of American robins in the south.

Snowy owls are being spotted in good numbers, along with some short-eared owls. Have you been hearing the back-and-forth hooting of great horned owls? It’s peak courtship season now and a few pairs in the south could lay eggs at any time. Barred owls and Eastern screech-owls nest later but will increase calling activity soon.

Small numbers of warmer-weather species linger, particularly in far southern counties, including sandhill crane, great blue heron, white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, yellow-rumped warbler, red-winged blackbird, and common grackle. Extensive ice cover has pushed out a majority of waterfowl, with some notable exceptions along the Mississippi River and central and northern Lake Michigan, where some goldeneye, mergansers, mallards, and swans might be found.

Some recent rare finds include varied thrushes in Door, Marathon, and Trempealeau counties, two purple sandpipers in Milwaukee, Townsend’s solitaires in Bayfield, Brown, and Columbia, harlequin ducks in Door and Sheboygan, spotted towhee in Brown, California gull in Jefferson, and both Cape May and orange-crowned warblers in Dane.

Report your observations of rare and common birds alike at www.ebird.org/wi.

Ryan Brady is a DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Program Biologist.