September and October are months of farewell and I spend a lot of time trying to squeeze in a last visit with each species of bird before the they finally decide to pack it in and head south. Great friends that have spent the entire summer with me slowly start to fade away and I am always interested in hearing one more Gray Catbird giving its mewing call, or seeing one last Swamp Sparrow skulking through the meadow grasses and giving me cautious, but curious looks.

And then there are those species that I only ever really see in passing. With them, I feel like I am attending a parade and waiting for the different floats to pass by. One day I might see a Swainson’s Thrush, and another day I might see a group of Blue-headed Vireos. I can almost predict what day I will see which species and it quickly becomes a ridiculously entertaining game. Of course, this is celebrated with lists of visitors that are seen and then those lists are pored over and compared from one year to the next. It is exciting and addictive (at least for me), but eventually the last float has come and gone and the parade is officially over.

One might think that would mark the end of the birding season, but it actually only represents an official shifting of the gears. The reason for this is the fact that among the migrants heading south there are a few species that see our area as their final winter destination. These birds are the winter sparrows that must bail out of Canada to avoid the harsher conditions of the northern winter, but find our version of winter to be acceptable. They are granivorous at this time of year, which means that they shift their diets to seeds and this is where the magic of winter birdfeeders kicks in.

Of late, the first species to arrive is usually the White-throated sparrow. Prior to 2020 this species had a reliable arrival time in the beginning of October, but for the past five years they have been observed in mid September. I have a feeling that this is due to a change in my behavior, rather than a change in the birds’ schedules. Specifically, I think it is my Thinking Chair that has changed things. I spend more time in classic habitat for this species so I notice their arrival more effectively. Anyway, that is a hypothesis and it is one that I am keen on testing further.

The next visitor to arrive is always the Dark-eyed Junco. This species has a reliable arrival time somewhere in mid October and because of this I generally do not see them down in the meadow. It turns out that I have a very predictable schedule of my own and (this year not withstanding) I generally abandon the Thinking Chair when the first sheet of ice appears on the birdbaths. Sitting quietly for hours on end is enjoyable in the 50s and tolerable in the 40s, but as temperatures drop into the 30s I am the one that bails.

The last of the regular winter visitors is the American Tree Sparrow and this is a species that we can expect to see any day now. Early sightings are generally in the beginning of November and the later sightings tend to occur at the beginning of December. They always arrive sooner or later and the first sighting of the year is always something of a celebration. The pages of my daily journals for the past 20 years are filled with little markings that indicate the arrival days of all these species and then the information is organized into a separate list. I am looking at said list right now and only the tree sparrow’s slot remains empty.

Finally, there are the “bonus birds.” These species are collectively called the “winter finches” and they are not nearly as reliable as the winter sparrows. These are birds that will choose to remain in Canada as long as there is an adequate supply of food because they eat tree seeds, which are up above the deep snows of the Canadian winters. Temperature does not seem to bother them much, but in those years when there is a “crop failure” they are forced to become somewhat nomadic and they generally head south in search of sustenance.

Fortunately for all of us, there is a group of scientists that have dedicated themselves to the study of these finch species. The Finch Research Network began publishing an annual “Winter Finch Forecast” 26 years ago. Each forecast provides an analysis of the food crops that different winter finches depend on and the likelihood that the birds will either stay put, or disperse to the south. This year’s forecast suggested that Purple Finches were on the move and, wouldn’t you know, I have seen these birds at my feeders for the past 2-3 weeks. If you are interested in learning about the winter finches, then I would definitely type “winter finch forecast” into a search engine and explore the site.

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As for the dining habits of these species, all you have to provide is a nice variety of birdseeds. Sunflower seeds, either black oil or shelled, will be very popular with the sparrows. White millet, which is a major ingredient in quality mixed seed, will also attract a lot of attention from the juncos and the tree sparrows. The winter finches, on the other hand, will also relish any nyjer seed (substitute thistle seed) that is offered. It feels like I have just started an entirely different column here, so I am going to call it quits for this week and focus on birdseed next week. More to come!

Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 27 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more in formation visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.