Interesting Siskin

Think they're yet to arrive in any numbers. Numbers at Bourne suggest that we should get a moderate influx in late Feb to March - time will tell

I would suggest that this is a poor siskin winter? I've not seen/heard that many...

I only had my first of the year this afternoon at Belton Park.

We retrapped a Siskin at Bourne Wood this week that was ringed two winters ago. Siskins do not migrate to the same place each winter. Birds head generally south from the breeding areas each year and Scandinavian birds can go to Eastern Europe one year and Britain/France/Spain in another winter. We have had ringing recoveries as far east at Slovakia and the Czech Republic but have never had one in a different winter back to Bourne. Most of our birds are of Scottish origin but an unknown proportion are Scandinavian. Lesser Redpolls also originate from the same areas but we regularly get these returning year after year.

Alan