Pine Siskins are Here! Attract Them to Your Backyard

Be on the lookout for a seldom seen winter visitor - a small northern finch called the Pine Siskin. These little birds resemble the American Goldfinch in both size and shape, but have a thickly streaked appearance with a touch of yellow in their wings and tail.

We wanted to take a moment to comment on the Pine Siskin irruption that is taking place and the impact it may have on your feeders.

Many of you are already aware that in many areas of western Canada this year there has been an influx of Pine Siskins. Pine Siskins show up irregularly at backyard feeders, usually when their supply of conifer seeds in northern forests are low or dwindling. Winter 2020/2021 looks like one of those irruption years.

The Good News

When Pine Siskins show up, they show up in large numbers! This means that demand for food in your backyard will be high.

So stock up on the seeds that these birds love:

Finch Mix- a high fat combination of nyjer and fine sunflower chips
Pure seed ingredients like Nyjer Seed and Fine sunflower Chips.

You may want to consider an additional feeder to give the birds more opportunity to feed and reduce the risk of disease.

The Bad News

As wonderful as it is to have all these Pine Siskins, it important to know that Pine Siskins are extremely susceptible to disease.

Often times when Pine Siskins irrupt, we hear about sick and dying birds. This is because Pine Siskins are very susceptible to disease - particularly salmonella. Inevitably if people start seeing sick birds at a feeder they start to think there is a problem with their seed, but this is not the issue. To prevent these problems, we recommend that you educate yourself on how to proactively prevent disease issues in your backyard.

How to prevent salmonella disease

Here are some tips to prevent disease issues at backyard bird feeders:

Prevent crowding at feeders: Pine Siskins come in large flocks and the competition between birds is fierce for food at a backyard feeder. This causes the birds stress and weakens their immune system. Prevent overcrowding by increasing the number of bird feeders in your yard to reduce the crowd at any one feeder.

Clean your feeders: Disease is passed from bird to bird often times by bird droppings. Ensure your feeders stay clean by scrubbing your feeder with hot soapy water at least once per month and let it air-dry afterwards. Using a cloth dipped in a weak bleach solution, wipe down perches and feeding portals on the feeder at least once per week. In an open tray feeder, remove any food soaked by rain, as well as any bird droppings.

Clean under your feeders: Rake up and dispose of left over shells or seed or bird droppings under the feeder.

If birds do start to get sick, take the feeders down and clean them thoroughly. It may be wise to leave the feeders down for a few days or a week to try to minimize further disease transmission from sick birds to others.

A few steps of prevention can help you prevent disease issues in your backyard.