The siskin (Carduelis spinus) is closely associated with conifers and is often seen high in pine and spruce trees where it feeds on seeds it extracts from cones. In winter they are more catholic in taste and visit alder and birch trees and are now quite frequent at garden feeding stations that provide suitable seeds, especially sunflower seeds. Not a great migratory species but certainly mobile they are resident in Dorset and do breed here in small numbers in conifer plantations or mixed woodland. As with many species of birds numbers are boosted during the winter months by incomers from further north where they are more common in breeding months.
Being resident in Dorset one would expect records for every week of the year but this is not, currently at least, the case. There are far less records in the summer months with May (weeks 20 to 24) being quiet. There is also an absence in weeks 32 to 35 in August; whether there is any significance in this is not clear to me. The peak number of reports comes in October which implies this is the time when the siskin is on the move and then there are also frequent reports in January through until March when they are more likely to visit gardens.
The distribution map shows that many sites from Purbeck, the Poole district and east Dorset report siskin and this is where the highest density of conifer plantations are in the county. These are also areas with a considerable amount of birch on the heaths and alder around Poole harbour margins. Sites along the south Dorset coast from Portland Bill to Lyme Regis also report siskin in reasonable numbers in autumn and this would reflect birds on their way further south.
Adding siskin to your Dorset list should not take long; you need to visit the heaths of the Poole basin where there are conifers and birch trees in abundance and, with patience, you should find them.
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