Beyond Your Backyard "The Uncommon Common Redpoll"
By Kimberly J. Epp
Seen in areas like Moose Jaw only once every five or six years, this January saw the welcome return of the cheery little Arctic finch, the Common Redpoll.
They appeared to have arrived during some of the coldest temperatures we have had this winter, but that didn't deter them at all.
Often misidentified as House Finches, Common Redpolls can be easily identified by their tiny red caps. The male differs from the female with his rosy chest. This tiny bird is 13 centimetres in length, just a tad bid smaller than the common Black-capped Chickadee.
Female Common Redpoll (photo by Krista Routledge).
Next to the chickadee, this is one of my favourite little backyard birds.
I even taught them to hand feed while working at Beaver Creek Conservation Area, near Saskatoon. I encouraged the cute little powder puffs to come closer to the building each weekend by making them homemade suet treats. Soon enough, they were taking pine nuts and oilseed from the hands of excited grade 5 students. They are a bit more wary than chickadees and nuthatches, which only means they take a bit more time and patience. The reward, however, is worth the time!
Male Common Redpoll blending in at Beaver Creek Conservation Area (Photo by Kimberly Epp)
Redpolls are one of the smallest finches, and evolved for a life living in the harshest of temperatures. Imagine living your life in the Arctic, but flying south for the winter to the same cold temperatures. These tiny birds don't migrate every year, and they don't migrate due to the cold.
Like Snowy Owls, they only migrate when their food sources are poor. This is why they are referred to as "irruptive migrants".
To survive the cold, redpolls put on 31 per cent more plumage in November than they have in the summer.
A very puffed out male redpoll, doing his best to keep warm! (photo by Lynda Green)
These tiny little masters of the cold can survive temperatures as cold as minus 54 degrees Celsius (minus 65 degrees Fahrenheit). They eat from sun up to sun down and puff out their outer feathers to trap warm air within...but what they do at night is truly fascinating.
Used to the snow, redpolls use this insulative power to huddle within at night and during storms. If they can't find a hole to burrow within, they will create their own by using their beaks to dig. Tunnels may be more than a foot long and 4 inches under the snow.
Female Common Redpoll taking shelter within the snow (photo by John C. Corden)
Redpolls are often described as the polar bears of the bird world.
They keep extra seeds within their throat pouches, and huddle together to keep warm. Throughout the night, they slowly digest the food within their crops. By doing so, this helps them maintain their body temperature and gives them the energy needed to survive the long nights.
Redpolls are also incredibly wide ranging. One banded bird in Michigan was recovered in Siberia. Others in Alaska were found again in the Eastern United States. Another bird banded in Belgium was found 2 years later in China.
Male Common Redpoll (photo by Krista Routledge)
The oldest known living redpoll was 7 years and 10 months of age. It was caught by a cat, and hopefully it survived its injuries.
Keeping your cats inside not only protects the birds at your feeders, but also protects your cats from auto accidents and the cold.
My cats love to sit beside the window feeders as they get the closest possible view of the birds without hurting them. It's the birdflix network as well as the nutflix network, with squirrels also coming by several times daily for treats.
I've recently had some Common Redpolls come to the window feeders as well. The cats got excited seeing a new species. Humans aren't the only bird watchers!
Redpolls subsist almost entirely on a diet of birch seeds. They eat 42 per cent of their body mass each day in order to survive those long and cold winter nights.
So, how can you attract redpolls to your feeders?
A flock of hungry redpolls eating seeds (photo by John C Corden)
As they have tiny bills, they prefer smaller seeds. Offering them nyger seeds and black oilseed may attract them. Nyger seed is more expensive, however it won't be taken by the House Sparrows. Although they are pricey, they also love pine nuts. The nuts are soft and and provide protein. They even like suet cakes.
It's unknown how much longer the redpolls will be in our area, but if you head out to Wakamow this weekend, you will likely see some.
If you're looking for the perfect family day weekend family fun event, you can take part in the Backyard Bird Count. You will be helping scientists keep track of backyard bird population trends while getting fresh air and learning more about birds at the same time.
Read more on the 2022 Backyard Bird Count here, https://www.mjindependent.com/.../ld8t22vl9wrrlbmipows2w7...
Read about hand feeding birds here,
https://l.facebook.com/l.php...
Spend some time with our feathered friends. Read more here,
https://www.mjindependent.com/.../12/5/beyond-your-backyard
How do birds survive the cold? Read more about their incredible survival tactics here,
https://www.mjindependent.com/.../2bwhzvpci1h9sq2j8jbbafg...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Epp is an Environmental Educator and Nature Writer, and is the Past President of the Moose Jaw Nature Society. She can be reached via the MJNS Facebook page or at kepp@shaw.ca.