Things have gotten downright Darwinian at the bird feeders
lately. Several squadrons of Common Redpoll, which we haven’t
seen at the feeder before, have descended upon the feeders and
seem to have almost completely displaced our regular visitors,
the American Goldfinches. Where there were once as many as 20
goldfinches feeding at one time, we now see around twice as many
redpolls. If there are any goldfinches fighting for a feeding
spot in that melee, it’s two or three at most. The two finch
species do not seem to be taking turns: I haven’t seen the
goldfinches wait for the redpolls to finish; it’s either
redpolls or nothing. The redpolls appear to be a bit more
fearless; they’re certainly more numerous. I imagine the
goldfinches will admit defeat and head elsewhere, if they
haven’t already done so. The chickadees, starlings, nuthatches
and woodpeckers, who arrive in ones and twos and don’t swarm
like sky piranhas, seem unaffected. Finch behaviour at the
feeders was interesting even before the redpolls turned