In the far north, beyond the Canadian Shield, at the very top of the earth there is a small bird whose numbers are in the millions and whose presence defines the open forests of spruce, birch and alder. A bird of striking beauty, it wears a red cap, black face, finely streaked flank and barred brown back. Its beak is sharply pointed and its intricately marked tail deeply notched. Yet, in the vastness of its boreal home it is taken for granted and overlooked.

Until, that is, supplies of its favorite seeds dwindle and huge numbers of them leave their northern homes and turn up in our neck of the woods. Here, they become the absolute focus of attention, where thousands of miles from the true north, their beauty and foreign charm is truly appreciated.

The common redpoll feeds largely on birch catkin seeds, which in response to the mass consumption of their seeds by birds have evolved to alternate production bi-annually. Thus, redpolls leave the north during low seed years, allowing some seeds to take root. Then, they turn up at our feeders wherever wayside seeds are scarce.

Common redpolls will eat black oil sunflower seed crumbs; however, the best way to attract them is with nyger or thistle seed. Yet even during irruptive years, when the redpolls appear south of the Canadian border, they are still difficult to attract. Although they do turn up in eastern Connecticut, they seem to be encountered in the northwestern part of the state more often.

I recommend keeping in touch with birding friends or checking CTBirds@lists.ctbirding.org and a great Internet site called ebird that is sure to inform you of redpoll sightings. If there are reports, they might turn up at the feeders in Session Woods in Burlington. So far this winter has not been good for sightings, but that could change. While bird feeders might be the easiest way to see redpolls, they are known to frequent birch groves, spruce thickets and open coastal sites. Bring binoculars and scopes to places such as Hammonasset State Park in Madison.

Observing redpolls in the field may offer insight into their interesting private lives. Redpolls are high energy, flocking and nomadic birds. Equipped for winter survival, they are known to tunnel into the snow to keep warm at night and even have been documented frolicking in snow seemingly for the pure fun of it.

My experience with redpolls has been largely at the feeder where they arrive one at a time and then later in the dozens. Within minutes, they make quick work of all seed, filling their throat pouches with as much as 2 grams of seed for later consumption. It is a survival adaptation that allows the tiny bird to consume the seeds in a warm sheltered place.

Watch your feeders carefully; common redpolls look an awful lot like house finch and other reasonably common birds. They may be overlooked in their northern homeland, but when they are discovered here, the word goes out. Viewing common redpolls is a great way to experience a bit of the far north without much travel. So be sure to keep informed of statewide sightings.

Robert Tougias is a birding author who lives in Colchester. He is available for presentations and will answer questions at rtougias@snet.net.