The Redpoll is a tiny bird, about 10 cm (5 in) long and weighing around 13 grams (0.46 oz). I have held them in my hands a couple of times when I found them in distress, and it was like holding air. Oddly (to me, anyway), they winter in cold places like Saskatchewan, where the temperature can dip beyond -40C, and spend their summers, their breeding season, in the arctic.
They are always a delight to see - one never knows whether they will show up here or elsewhere.
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| photograph RwHarwood 2025 |
