I have recorded the redpoll’s presence here on just less than two dozen occasions since 1998.

Most frequently sighted during January (when I couldn’t squeeze another column in edgewise), it’s also visited from December all the way to April first in 2013. With the strange weather we’ve experienced this winter, I wouldn’t be surprised to see its visit anytime. I know I certainly never expected to see a pair of bluebirds beneath my clothesline in late December.

The only bird remotely similar to the Common Redpoll is the Hoary Redpoll and it prefers to stay north of the border so identification shouldn’t be difficult.

A small bird of the finch family, either adult sports a bright red cap unlike any other bird I can think of. Both sexes also have a black chin while “mister” has a rosy chest as well. White wing stripes and brown streaked breast and back. They fly in an undulating pattern.

Visitations are irregular at best and occur only during the winter months but they can be drawn to your feeders with sunflower and thistle (niger) seed. When seed isn’t readily available they’ll munch on tree buds (oh, great), grasses, weeds and even insects. I’ve found them tame enough to make an easy and colorful subject for my cameras.

Peterson says their size, shape and actions resemble our goldfinch or a pine siskin, a little rather nondescript bird I apparently continue to overlook.

A favorite bird with many of my birding books, “A Natural History of American Birds” describes the redpoll thus: “They come with the snowflakes out of the dun sky of November and leave as spring approaches. They are such hardy, boreal birds that probably they leave the northern wilderness in great numbers only when driven south by lack of food. . . The feeding flocks may be startled by any sudden noise or violent movement. Then they rise and wheel in concert, but after going through their usual evolutions they may return to the very place from which they took flight. In winter they spend most of the brief days in searching for food and in consuming it, and at night they may retire to some dark thicket of coniferous trees to sleep.”

Kenn Kaufman has this to say: “Redpolls are tiny, restless birds, feeding actively on seeds among trees and weeds, fluttering and climbing about acrobatically, their flocks seemingly always on the move. For such a small bird, they have a remarkable ability to survive cold temperatures; their southward flights are sparked by temporary scarcity of food in the north, not by cold. At bird feeders in winter, redpolls are often remarkably tame. … Has a pouch within throat where it can store some food for up to several hours; this helps the bird in bitterly cold weather, allowing it to feed rapidly in the open and then digest food over a long period while it rests in a sheltered spot.”

Audubon does caution that “they are tame and trusting, and allow close approach; unfortunately this trait causes them to fall prey to house cats and other predators.”

Sadly, when going through my bird album, I found an article from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation reporting the demise of “numbers” due to salmonella. Dated in the spring of 2013, one can only hope the little birds have recovered by now. Since the infection can also affect pine siskins, goldfinches and other finches, I found their advice worth repeating. “New Yorkers can help to curtail the spread of salmonellosis in redpolls by removing, emptying and disinfecting feeders with a 10 percent bleach solution. Seed on the ground beneath should be cleaned up and discarded. Because salmonellosis is a pathogen that can affect other species (INCLUDING ALL HUMANS AND PETS), it is especially important to practice good hygiene when cleaning feeders or handling dead birds. Dead birds should be handled with gloves, then double-bagged and discarded in the garbage. If a sick or dead bird is found at home birdfeeders, it should be reported to the local DEC office. Pets should be kept away from feeder areas where sick or dead birds have been observed.”

Susan Crossett has lived outside Cassadaga for more than 20 years. A lifetime of writing led to these columns as well as two novels. “Her Reason for Being” was published in 2008 with “Love in Three Acts” appearing in 2014. Copies are available at the Cassadaga ShurFine and Papaya Arts on the Boardwalk in Dunkirk. Information on all the Musings, the books and the author may be found at Susancrossett.com.