This is one of the years when Common Redpolls are visiting in huge numbers. Irruptions are being reported all through NH & VT. Our yard and sunflower seed supply has not been spared. Since we returned from a Christmas trip late last year, a flock, sometimes numbering 80-100 individuals, has been competing with the chickadees to see who can consume the most sunflowers and scatter them on the ground for the squirrels in the process. I finally decided to take some photos of this year’s crop. I have enough redpoll images from the past to last a lifetime, but it is fun to try to get some new ones. The slide show below are images from yesterday.
This is the second of the 5 species that I covered on my Winter Visitors page that I have seen in 2011. There have been reports of Hawk Owls in NH and VT, but so far I have not searched for them. However there is a lot of winter left so I can always hope that a Snowy Owl will visit my yard, as one did many years ago, or a flock of Pine Grosbeaks will pay a return visit.
