We have two shrikes in the States--the Loggerhead in the southern half of the 48 and the Northern Shrike in the northern half of the 48.

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A Boreal Chickadee in Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota.

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I found this bird at Sax-Zim by the feeders at the Welcome Center.

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I continue to look out my window, expecting no longer to see the redpolls, but a few remain before making their trek back to the far north. This one enjoyed some sunlight as I pointed my camera out the window. This image is not enlarged. The bird is about eight feet from my lens.

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This winter has been an irruptive one for winter finches. I have been lucky enough to have a flock of 40-50+ redpolls come to my feeders nearly everyday. Here you can see these little birds feeding on Nyjer seeds, which they really like.

The only problem with having a flock of 50+ redpolls is that I stand by the window trying to count them whenever they drop in, which is quite difficult because they land on the ground, on the feeders, on the branches of the maple tree that is over the feeders. When they arrive, they are up and down, or suddenly half of the flock will lift into the tree. I find myself counting as many as I can in 15-20 seconds. I have counted as many as 57.

A second problem is constantly photographing these handsome winter finches. As all bird photographers know: there's always a better shot waiting.

The third problem is scanning for that elusive Hoary Redpoll, because one could always be in the flock, so I find myself snapping photos of every bird that is slightly 'frostier' than the rest and with fewer flank marks. So far no Hoary.

In short, a flock of Common Redpolls exacerbates obsessive-compulsive behavior, and what's wrong with that? After all, obsession leads to achievement.

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