Wolfe Island (Kingston) - The uncommon Hoary in comparison with a Common Redpoll on the right. The hoary is paler overall with dull side streaks, unstreaked under the tail and a small bill, giving the face a pushed in look. Thousands of Common Redpolls have descended from the North and are appearing mainly in flocks of 25-100 in rural areas. Weedy fields or roadsides are preferred. When the snow is deep they should appear at feeders. There are a small number of Hoary Redpolls with them.
Redpolls are annoyingly skittish, often remaining only moments for observation. When they are at feeders they are far easier to observe.
1 of 3 Hoary Redpolls seen at Dorval during the Christmas Bird Count. Note the lack of streaking, large size, pale colour. White rump not visible in this photo. The exact location of the birds is shown by clicking the globe map.
A compilation photo for identification purposes of a Hoary Redpoll. The bird displayed the field marks such as no streaking, white rump, larger size versus Common Redpoll, and overall pale colour.
Seen in the airport field during the Christmas Bird Count.