Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

In the 1970s across the northeastern US, Evening Grosbeaks were daily visitors to backyard feeders each winter. And then, seemingly all at once, they were gone.

Nowadays many birders count themselves lucky to see a couple of them at a feeder or hear some flying overhead once or twice a season. Sure, there are some places in northern Maine and Minnesota where people have small flocks in the winter, and they do breed in some of these locations as well. But their populations have been only a small reflection of what it once was during those pre-1980s winters.

That’s why it is was so exciting to see the early southward irruptive movement of Evening Grosbeaks documented across much of the U.S. Through eBird, we saw that birders as far south as the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, southern Illinois, and southern Missouri documented Evening Grosbeaks in October and November. Evening Grosbeaks were also found at birding mecca—Cape May, New Jersey—and around Washington, D.C. in December.

All of these sitings are aligned with the 2025-2026 Winter Finch Forecast, which predicted a big flight year—in fact the biggest since 2020–2021. The forecast is compiled each year by biologist Tyler Hoar and hosted by the nonprofit Finch Research Network. It predicts the winter movements of seven North American finches, all with significant percentages of their North American populations breeding in the Boreal Forest. These “Boreal birds” include Purple Finches, Redpolls, Red Crossbills, White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Pine Grosbeaks, and Evening Grosbeaks.

Where I live in Maine, there have been many reports of Evening Grosbeaks this season. Some are at feeders where eager and lucky birders have the opportunity to photograph them. Some are flying high overhead, faintly heard as they pass south. In November I heard a couple flying high above the neighborhood while walking the dog, and in January one stopped by the next-door-neighbor’s feeder for a day. I am still hoping that a flock with stop by our feeder during these cold days of February and stay a bit longer.

Although not a finch, another Boreal Forest breeding bird, the Bohemian Waxwing, has begun showing up in serious numbers in late January and February here in Maine. Some birders have found flocks of hundreds across south-central Maine. Bohemian Waxwings, like Pine Grosbeaks, are usually found feeding on the frozen fruits of crabapples and other ornamental fruiting trees and bushes. Is the recent push of Arctic cold air encouraging the Bohemian Waxwings to move southward? Will there be a similar increase in Pine Grosbeaks? How far south will they push before starting the retreat back northward to their Boreal Forest breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska? 

The Christmas Bird Count data collection effort that took place from mid-December through early January, will provide one snapshot of the early winter status of all these Boreal Forest irruptive species. Another great opportunity to answer some of the late season questions about the movements of Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks and other Boreal birds is the Great Backyard Bird Count that takes place from February 13-16.

I am curious to learn what this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count results will reveal as far as how widespread and numerous this year’s Boreal bird irruption truly is. And I hope some of you have the good fortune of having some big-billed, yellow-and-white Evening Grosbeaks, elegant crested Bohemian Waxwings, or demure Pine Grosbeaks, stop by your backyards. Be sure to keep an eye out for these special birds while they are here and put your sightings of any and all birds into the Great Backyard Bird Count!