I’m typically a big homebody: give me a book and some popcorn and I can sit in the sun reading for hours. This isn’t very conducive to seeing birds, other than the ones outside my window.
Thankfully, I have friends and family that drag me out of the house on a somewhat regular basis and keep my vitamin D levels up. This weekend was one of those times.
We headed to a local site, New Jersey Audubon‘s Plainsboro Preserve, and I’m so thankful! We saw the usual Jersey winter birds, but the biggest surprise was a flock of 15-20 Common Redpolls that showed up right next to the trail. When they flew in, I knew they were something different than usual and I basically freaked out once I confirmed they were redpolls.
This is super exciting because redpolls aren’t typically found here. The only reason we’re seeing them in NJ this winter is because it’s an irruption year for finches, when they move south beyond their usual range in search of food. There isn’t enough food in their normal habitat to support them so they have to go looking for it elsewhere.
Check out this article from Audubon for more information. And good luck seeing your own irruption year birds this season. I still have a few to cross off on my list!