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| Male Siskin en route to the feeder |
Its not
every weekend that I get to verify a
piece of scientific information as reported by the BTO: Siskins we know from experience to be very
nomadic, with lots of ringing data
proving this point: wanderers to Britain and back, often clocking up distances of 400 or 500km.in their passage ..
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| Female Siskin |
The BTO
also reports that on a micro scale, Siskins can suddenly appear in the garden
in wet or showery conditions, a fact I witnessed twice in recent weeks, notable
too because its been remarkably dry through February and March. Siskins leave the nearby, mature Spruce
plantation during rain or wet periods because the seed bearing Spruce cones, a
favourite food of Siskins, close up in wet conditions and so our Siskins appear
in a small party at the feeders, fussing and holding their own with bigger relatives
such as the Greenfinch.
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| Upside down, with a Greenfinch for comparison |
You may notice that they frequently choose to
perch upside down on the peanut feeder.
Now surely somebody knows why Siskins perch upside down whilst on the
feeders? Perhaps this position helps save the body feathers from saturation in
rain or perhaps it permits a hasty retreat if a predator appears? Or maybe they are adapting a strategy to
extract the max. from nearly empty feeders? Fascinating creatures!
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| ..and right side up |
Great post! I had not heard that Siskins appear in gardens in wet weather because the damp has closed the seed cones... how fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI had wondered about the Siskin's hanging upside-down habit and thought maybe it had evolved as a means of coping with the spiny leaves on spruce shoots. I'd say it would be easier for them to run down a spruce shoot rather than up, because the spiny leaves generally point downwards.