Pine Siskins have been seen

Pine Siskin

Keep your eye out for Pine Siskins. There have been several reports of the finch-link songbirds making a rare appearance in the Lehigh Valley area, according to Dave DeReamus, who coordinates the Eastern PA Birdline, which is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

For instance, six Pine Siskins were seen on October 19 at Little Gap in Northampton County. (If you'd like to try to find the birds, you may be rewarded with the sight of migrating raptors as well.)

Another four Pine Siskins were see at Bake Oven Knob in Lehigh County.

The winter range of the Pine Siskin changes from year to year, according to "Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity," a must-have reference book for birders. In the East, the Pine Siskins' summer breeding territory extends from Newfoundland to the western edge of Ontario.

These finch-like songbirds are about the size of a goldfinch but their bills are more slender than that of most finches. They are brown, heavily streaked birds with subtle yellow edgings on their wings and tails. When they take flight, you might see a flash of yellow. They closely remember a female House Finch, except that the House Finch has a thicker bill, no wing bars and no yellow coloration on the wings or tail.

Another treat is that Pine Siskins come to feeders that offer Nyjer, white millet or shelled sunflower seeds. They also may be seen beneath feeders filled with unshelled sunflower seeds, where they hope to catch any leftovers. Occasionally they will eat suet. In the wild, you may spot them at the ends of conifer branches, where they cling, even upside down, feeding on the seeds of pine cones.