About two weeks ago I put up our bird feeders during a cold snap and then it got warm again. But nights have often been cold, even when the sunny days saw temperatures in the 50s or 60s. The birds have been abundant on most mornings, so I did not have the heart to stop refilling the tube and bin feeder.

We get many of the same species of birds every year. But this year I was surprised to see dark-eyed juncos, which were, for some reason, rare to absent last winter. We also have two pairs of purple finches visiting more regularly and earlier in the season than at any time during the previous two winters we have lived here.

A friend gave us a “bluebird feeder” (basically a metal cup on a hanger) and some bluebird food. Lo and behold, it attracted bluebirds as soon as we put it out. 

The mix combines corn, peanuts, suet, oats, dried mealworms, sunflower chips, cranberries, and raisins. Which is to say, it is nothing like the food we put out for the other birds. When I forget to fill the bluebird feeder, no bluebirds visit at all.

I fill the tube feeder with sunflower seeds, preferably the black oil seed variety rather than the large striped type. The tube feeder is for smaller birds like chickadees, titmice, goldfinches, and the occasional purple finch. It is awkward for the nuthatches and almost impossible for a blue jay to eat from.

These smaller birds are not big fans of millet, the little round seeds that form the bulk of generic bird seed mixes. So, I put that in the bin feeder. The model I put out initially has a relatively narrow ledge on four sides. 

The nuthatches and titmice spend a fair amount of time there, mostly picking through the millet for sunflower seeds. In the process of their foraging, they knock the millet onto the ground, where the juncos prefer to forage. Surprisingly, the purple finches spend as much time on the ground as they do on the feeders.

I put out a square brick of suet in a little metal mesh box and that keeps the woodpeckers busy. So far I have seen only hairy woodpeckers and red-breasted nuthatches visit the suet. I am surprised not to have spotted either downy woodpeckers (anywhere) or the white-breasted nuthatch over at the suet.

The above-mentioned species are our regulars. We went through a winter two years ago during which there were no blue jays at all. The acorn (and perhaps other tree fruit) crop was at a low and this species deserted our region to look for better forage. They returned last year but are not nearly as common as they were when we were in Sutton three years ago or in Unity before that.

Last year we were positively overrun with pine siskins. These are finches that, generally speaking, breed farther north and “irrupt” southward during the winter. “Irrupt” is a verb that means to “enter forcibly or suddenly.” With respect to bird migration, it means to show up abruptly in large numbers at unpredictable intervals.

Pine siskins are small, the size of goldfinches, streaked with dark and lighter brown, and with flashes of yellow on their primaries and at the bases of their outer tail feathers. Their conical bills are short and appear sharply pointed. Their calls are similar to those of goldfinches but are buzzier and raspier.

Early last winter I was delighted to see them but as the season went on, they overran our feeders. There were sometimes 30 or 40 siskins present, and they turned out to be very aggressive, driving off not only the similar-sized and timid goldfinches, but also most of the other larger birds too. When I saw on the New Hampshire Bird Forum listserv that a siskin had been spotted in Brookfield (east of Lake Winnipesaukee) on November 9, I actually shuddered and thought, “Oh no, the bullies are back.”

Today I put up a second bin feeder. This one is two-sided and has perches made of half-inch dowels. It accommodates larger birds, so I filled it with the millet/sunflower mix because it’s what I had. 

This week I will buy a bag of the so-called “cardinal mix” to see if it attracts any new species. We rarely have cardinals at our feeders. They don’t seem to want to venture into the wooded setting around our cabin; they are very much a lawn and garden bird in New Hampshire. But given the response to the bluebird food, I’m willing to give it a try.