Common Redpoll, Acanthis flammea
FINALLY, after years of waiting, Common Redpolls are irrupting! I missed them when they were in the Hudson Valley in 2015 and have regretted it ever since. I have always thought of them as adorable little fluffballs-like chickadees but with flashy red caps- and I have wanted to paint them so badly!
In my final days as a hawkwatcher at Greenwich Audubon, I arrived at my post early in the morning to see a single small bird in a catkin far out in the field. I could hear a birdcall I did not recognize. When my scope revealed an unmistakable red cap, I nearly jumped in the air with glee as I abandoned hawks for the moment and raced to get closer. Unfortunately, it flew away before I could get close. Still, I was elated-if there were redpolls in Connecticut, then I knew without a doubt I would find more when I traveled north to the the midwest after hawkwatching ended.
My assumption was correct. While quarantining in Michigan, my girlfriend and I visited a wastewater treatment facility with a CLOUD of redpolls. There were hundreds of them! They would feed on the grasses by the side of the road before taking off as a group and resettling at another spot. When they turned so that they were head on, the flashes of red were like fireworks.
To my delight, within the cloud of Common Redpolls was an individual that caught my eye. It was a cement white color, with a stubby bill and almost no streaking. Unlike Common Redpolls, this Hoary Redpoll had a small red patch on its head. I had been worried about being able to pick out a Hoary Redpoll from amongst Commons- they are so similar that the two species may very well be lumped someday- but this particular Hoary Redpoll displayed all of the textbook differences. I love its coloration, the white color suggests that the Hoary Redpoll is a Common Redpoll that got covered in frost.
Hoary Redpoll, Acanthis hornemanni
Both the Common and the Hoary Redpoll are well-named. “Redpoll” refers to the adorable red cap that these birds wear (just like the black cap of the Blackpoll Warbler!). The Hoary Redpoll adds hoary to its name to refer to that wonderful frost color. I love these two winter visitors. Between their fabulous names, their adorable demeanor, and their fleetingness, I feel as though they arrive to bring joy. In China, red is considered a color of luck, joy, and happiness. As 2021 heads underway (and the Chinese New Year is about to arrive) I hope that these little red birds bring all those who see them luck, joy and light after a year of darkness.