My guess is that they will only form larger flocks specifically around
feeders as the winter progresses. Zac Cota-Weaver noticed that many of the
birch stands he's looked at have been stripped of their seeds. Nona Estrin
also mentioned to me that the grass seeds she's opened have been very thin,
following the drought, and she wondered if our seed-eating birds may need
to struggle to find food at all. Evening Grosbeaks have made it all the way
to Florida this year, which is fairly rare.

If anyone else has more insight on the late winter movements of these
finches, especially in Vermont or among our bioregions here, I'd be
interested.

Best,
R

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 1:40 PM Maeve Kim <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> It’s not breeding season, but they’re reproducing anyway. The flock at our
> feeders started out around 6, then went to 15-20, then in the 30s, and now
> it’s over 50. The little cuties are wickedly hard to count, but every now
> and then a good percentage of them scatter over the snow to pick up
> scattered seed and we can get a good estimate. Another treat of backyard
> birding this year!
> Maeve Kim, Jericho Center



-- 
Richard | @richlitt <https://twitter.com/richlitt> | burntfen.com
<http://www.burntfen.com>