From early November until mid-March, my feeders host quite an array of birds. The numbers explode just before and after a big snowfall when the birds anticipate and then find less natural food available to them. Before the storm they appear determined to fill their crops with as much seed as possible fearing for the worst in the next few days.

I generally host 16 different species; four or five others sometimes make visits every few years, increasing that year’s varieties. Depending on your feeders, and especially your location, your winter bird species will vary. In towns with less wooded areas, your feeder birds may be largely house finches, house sparrows, juncos, starlings, mourning doves and blue jays. If you feed in more rural areas your “visitor” list might add black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, goldfinches, some woodpeckers, white-throated sparrows, and white breasted nuthatches.

Some winters grace us with some rare visitors from the north. Pine siskins, purple finches and red-breasted nuthatches sometimes have eruptions and can be seen here in good numbers. This year I’ve seen quite a few purple finches at a number of locations. Birding buddy Dave and I found a Beltzville area feeder hosting not just one, but well over 40 pine siskins. These relatives of gold finches will gobble up your nyjer seed from the tube feeders. This flock also made regular trips to a nearby asphalt shingled roof where they were picking up grit for use in their gizzards.

Occasionally your suet feeder will attract a mockingbird or Carolina wren if the starlings don’t bully them away. If you remember an earlier column, the mockingbird and Carolina wrens were birds of southern origin and now not only nest here in summer, but are able to survive our warming winters.

I noted earlier that purple finches have been more common this winter. They can be easily confused with the rather common house finches. Use your bird field guides and note the differences. The females of the species are the easiest to differentiate, with the bolder brown colors of the purple finch female, its bigger seed crushing bill, and a noticeable whitish eye line. The males are not too difficult to separate either. The purple finch (nearly purple) is a deeper and more complete warmer color. More of the male purple finch’s body is this color, and it too has a bigger seed crushing bill than the house finch. The male house finch has a reddish/slight orangeish tint.

If you are extremely lucky, some common redpolls and evening grosbeaks have made their way south into Pennsylvania this year and could find your feeders. The latter I have not seen here in well over 20 years.

If you don’t mind the cold, you may try to get chickadees to eat from your hand. I have had chickadees get acclimated to my presence, and they have done just that. No other species have been that “daring.”

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: _____ are almost entirely nocturnal. A. black bears, B. flying squirrels, C. white-tailed deer, D. none of these.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Too many people misidentify rhododendrons and mountain laurel. “Rhodos” grow two to three times the height of laurels.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.