Amateur Naturalist: Where & When Do Birds Come & Go?

Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on April 3, 2023
- 8:37 am

House finches gathering at spring time. The male shows his red coloring to attract females. Photo by Robert Dryja

By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

Spring is arriving with generally warming weather and in spite of a recent snow fall. Different species of birds also are appearing to support the idea that spring is on its way.

Three species of birds are appearing in flocks, large or small. Red winged blackbirds have appeared daily in the same tall trees in flocks of fifty to eighty birds. The trees do not have leaves yet and so the birds are clearly visible sitting on its branches.

The birds also chatter away together. Imagine the sound level created by eighty birds. House finches are appearing in flocks of five to ten birds. They tend to gather lower down on shorter trees or shrubs. They also chirp away but are nowhere near as loud as a flock of red winged blackbirds. Robins are third kind of bird to start appearing in flocks. These flocks also are small in size with possibly up to 10 robins together. They may spend of part of their time hopping around on the ground under bushes, looking for dried berries from last fall.

These three species have another common characteristic in addition to flocking. All of them have the color red somewhere on them. The male red wing blackbirds have a red streak on their wings. This is in area that could be called their elbow. The male house finches can have distinctly read heads and chests. The robins, male or female, have their whole their front area reddish/orange in color. “Robin red breast” makes a good distinctive name.

Flocking and coloration are two characteristics in common. But are there differences? The immediately obvious difference is the different size among the three species. The house finches are the smallest while red winged blackbirds and robins are larger. The robins look almost plump in shape when they puff their feathers up in the winter. The red winged blackbirds look long and trim in comparison.

Another difference is not so immediately obvious unless the birds are counted from day to day over the year. The red winged black birds tend to fly toward higher country for the winter months. They then begin to flock together when winter is ending. They fly to a lower elevation where ponds, streams or marshes are available. They nest in these areas to raise their young. Robins follow an opposite pattern. They flock to a higher elevation with the end of winter. The extensive trees, shrubs and grasslands are good for nesting when the weather is warmer. Flocks of these two species may appear in the same area, but one species is flocking to a lower elevation while the other is flocking to a higher elevation. They pass one other while going in opposite directions.

House finches in contrast remain in the same area throughout the year. They disburse during the winter or summer months but then gather in small flocks in late winter and spring. They will find mates and nesting locations as part of this kind of gathering. Different species therefore may be seen in flocks in the same area at the same time of year but are moving in different directions during spring time.

Robin eating berries in a late winter snow fall and puffing up its feathers. Photo by Robert Dryja