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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>HI Trileigh,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Since we are in your neck of the woods, we have been seeing from 2-6 Pine Siskins in our yard every day. Sometimes just one. I have seen larger groups fly over a few times, but never overwhelming numbers. Mercifully, they all seem very healthy. Mostly, we have quite a few American Goldfinches, very few but present House Finches, and since January 20 we have had two male Lesser Goldfinches show up sporadically. They were here quite regularly until the end of January, but made unpredictable appearances. It has been fun, though. One of them showed up in the front yard for about 30 seconds early this morning. There was a Merlin perched in the back yard…… it was quiet after that.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Mark and I have see several large flocks of Siskins in Jack Block Park. Sometimes 30 or more in a flock.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So, that’s the Finch report from Gatewood!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Janeanne Houston<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>West Seattle<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>From:</span></b><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'> Tweeters <tweeters-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Trileigh Tucker<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, February 14, 2024 11:33 AM<br><b>To:</b> tweeters@u.washington.edu<br><b>Subject:</b> [Tweeters] Pine Siskins<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>Hi Tweets,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>On Sunday afternoon 2/11, I was walking in my West Seattle neighborhood when I realized that a small tree ahead of me was full of chattery finches: not only House Finches and American Goldfinches, but also Pine Siskins. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>It’s been a long time – months to a year or longer – since I’ve encountered a bunch of siskins. They’ve never been vastly abundant in my yard, but I seem to remember seeing them more often, usually in small groups.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>I seem to remember reading on Tweeters about others noticing a lack of siskins, but a search of the archives doesn’t turn up many recent reports. I’m curious about others’ experience; have you noticed a lack followed by recent sightings? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>I did screengrabs of eBird sightings from Dec-Feb for the past 6 years, and by far the most sightings were recorded this year and in 2020-2021…but I think there’s a chance that that 2020-21 increase in sightings may have been at least partly due to you-know-what and everyone suddenly home and available to look for siskins.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>The <a href="https://finchnetwork.org/western-irruption-alert-pine-grosbeaks-cassins-finches-and-others-making-record-movements">Finch Research Network</a> predicted an irruption this year, with indicators noted as far back as July/August. So it’s interesting to see that that might be showing up now. What have you noticed?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>Thanks much,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'>Trileigh<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Lucida Bright",serif;color:#1F4E79;mso-ligatures:none'>Trileigh Tucker<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Lucida Bright",serif;color:#1F4E79;mso-ligatures:none'>Pelly Valley, West Seattle <o:p></o:p></span></i></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>