Throughout the American Midwest, deciduous trees dominate our forests and riparian woodlands and the majority of resident birds favor those habitats. During the colder months, however, birders may find that groves of pine and other conifers offer the best opportunity to observe visitors from the north.
Many irruptive, Canadian or mountain species, native to vast coniferous forests, favor similar habitat during their winter excursions; while most are less selective in winter, visiting mixed woodlands as well, they are usually best found in stands of conifers where their favored foods are available. These pine-loving birds include red and white-winged crossbills, pine and evening grosbeaks, red-breasted nuthatches, golden-crowned kinglets, purple finches and pine siskins; northern saw-whet owls are also best found in dense coniferous vegetation. While most of these species are erratic nomads, moving about in response to natural food crops, pine groves are magnets for those passing through our region.
Of course, well-stocked sunflower feeders provide another effective means of attracting these northern wanderers. Once their attention is drawn to the feeders by mixed flocks of resident birds (cardinals, chickadees, titmice, house finches, white-breasted nuthatches and others), they join the feast and, if they like the handouts, they might stick around for a week or so. Better yet, planting your own stand of conifers will diversify the landscape of your property and increase your chance of observing irruptive species in the future.
