I always keep an eye on my flocks of Common Redpolls that show up in hopes of finding the more rare Hoary migrant. I had some false alarms in the past, but when I saw one for the first time, I just knew it was a Hoary.
My first Hoary Redpoll, re-posted
This frosty bird caught my eye and I was lucky to snap a few photos before he disappeared into the flock of over 100 Redpolls. I failed to relocate him again. Ever since, I put my binoculars up at any Redpoll that seems frosty, but it is always just my eyes playing tricks on me due to the lighting and reflection of the snow on the ground. I figured that this was a one-time sighting for the season.
Today, however, I noticed another frosty bird that was not quite like the others. I immediately grabbed my binoculars and the flash of a white-rump flew away. It flew back into my hanging tray feeder and then flew away quickly. I set my camera up to try to get it, but the bird was just too quick. While all of the Common Redpolls would stick around, this one would grab a seed and run. It kept flying up to a pine that borders the woods and eventually made it’s way into my closer tree. I snapped a few shots so that I could prove my ID. They came out a bit out-of-focus but are usable.
My second Hoary Redpoll
Extremely frosty on the back, thin streaking, small red cap, stubby bill, white undertail coverts and a whiter rump. I determined this to be a first year Hoary due to the buffy cheeks. I had high hopes that it would stick around because, even when the Commons left, it would continue to go back and forth from the tray to the pine.
And then all of the birds hurried away and a somewhat larger bird came in, chasing what looked like my Hoary Redpoll. The Redpoll got away and the predator perched in a tree.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
It was a Sharp-shinned Hawk in transitional plumage. The Accipiters that I get usually fly away at the slightest motion from inside but this one would not budge. I even went out on my deck and it didn’t mind. The Hawk stayed perched in my tree as some of the smaller birds started to return. It made another attempt at a Chickadee, missed and flew off.
The larger flock of Redpolls, including the Hoary, have not returned since.
On Saturday, I counted birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count in my yard and surrounding areas. The Common Redpoll really took over the spotlight for me. I had a large flock of very cooperative birds. In my past experience these birds would fly away at the slightest noise, so I had a hard time shooting them without a window in between my lens and the bird. On Saturday, however, I was able to go out on my deck and shoot them from about ten feet away from the tree. They didn’t mind my presence and did not flinch when I would move my camera around. It was a bright overcast day, so lighting was pretty good.
Common Redpoll
Common Redpoll
Common Redpoll
I finally have some “split” photos that came out clear too. It seems as though all previous attempts would come out just out of focus!
Common Redpoll
I even managed to get some photos that were good enough to crop for close-ups. While this will never make print, it works pretty well for the web.
Common Redpoll cropped
I also had some Pine Siskins mixed in with the Redpolls. It seems like their numbers are getting higher again. It would be nice for them to pass by in the same numbers as they did in the fall.
Pine Siskin
Some of the more common birds that I always try to get photos of are two of my favorites – the Nuthatches. I have a Northeastern Nuthatch sweep pretty much every day, but I never get tired of them!
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
My best non-photographic highlight were all of the Woodpeckers! I stood in the woods on the border of my yard just watching and listening to the Woodpeckers for about twenty minutes. I had drumming from three different sized birds – Pileated, Red-bellied and Downy – all at the same time. I even spotted a female Red-bellied Woodpecker – perhaps a companion to the male that I see everyday?
Many feeders in the US have been graced with the presence of Common Redpolls by the dozens and even hundreds. I know one family who had up to 300 birds show up to their very attractive yard. I had a few days where there were over 100 on my feeders, trees and the ground below both. It was tough to even get a rough estimate because they would move around so fast and fly away at the smallest disturbance.
To get an idea of what my yard was like, here is a quick video that I shot through my window:
It took some time to get some great photos. I started by shooting from inside the house through my sliding glass doors. Quality remains pretty decent, but having window glass between L-series lens glass does degrade it a bit for larger sizes.
Shot through my sliding doors.
A great perch right outside my sliding doors.
One of my early photos on a snowy day shot through my sliding doors.
You have to be careful with flocks this large. I had one bird who would stick around after the flock left. I have a feeling that she was sick. I cleaned my feeders that night just in case.
Shot from the top deck right over her.
And finally I had a decent-sized flock on a sunny day. I slowly made my way onto my deck and snapped away at the birds from the far side so that I did not disturb them.
Shot from my deck.
Shot from my deck with some Christmas lights for size comparison.
Shot from my deck.
Whenever the large flocks would come, I would try to look for a more frosty bird in hopes of finding a Hoary Redpoll. It was tough to sift through them because they would move so fast. Finally, out of the corner of my eye I saw this almost white-looking bird on top of my pole system. My camera was already pointed at the feeders so I picked it up and snapped away. The photos came out much better than I expected!
I grabbed my camera as soon as I saw this more frosty Redpoll and snapped away. Within 5 seconds he was mixed in the flock never to be relocated again.
