I believe there were posts here or on Facebook about Red Crossbills feeding
in gum trees as well.

James Muller

On Wed, Jan 31, 2018, 7:10 PM Joseph Lautenbach <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I had the day off from work, so I went to Delaware SP and surrounding area
> this morning. While I was there I encountered the previously reported
> Common Redpoll (at least 2), Pine Siskins (at least 6), and very large
> flock of American Goldfinch (~200). It was fascinating watching these birds
> forage in the sweetgums, I watched them for 30 or 40 minutes. I recently
> moved to Ohio from further north and had no idea that sweetgums provided a
> valuable food source. I thought it was very interesting to see northern
> species like redpolls and siskins foraging on a relatively southern tree
> species. I was also curious as to whether the finches were drawn to the
> sweetgums because of quality or quantity.
>
> Once I got home, I tried to do a little research on food quality of
> sweetgums. I was able find a manuscript focused on pen-reared quail food
> preferences (Journal of Wildlife Management, 1945). In the manuscript, they
> discuss protein and fat levels of various wild food sources. Sweetgums
> average almost 15% crude protein, a pretty high content, not as high as
> other species tested, but in the upper tier of native species evaluated in
> the study. Given the number of sweet gum trees in the area and the
> relatively high nutritional value, it is no wonder there are so many
> finches there. I would have to assume that sweetgums may be difficult for
> other species to access.
>
> The whole time I was there, the only other species I saw foraging on
> sweetgum was the Carolina Chickadee. I would be curious to hear what other
> species people have observed foraging on sweetgums (specifically on the
> seeds, I would imagine woodpeckers would forage on decaying and dying trees
> for insects etc.), as well as more information on the value of sweetgums as
> a food resource. I'm new to Ohio, so I don't have a ton of experience with
> sweetgum, any information would be interesting to me.
>
> I checked other sweetgums in the state park for finches, but did not see
> any today. The Sweetgum picnic area was a little more sheltered from the
> wind than the other other areas I saw lots of sweetgums. Given the strong
> winds today, perhaps all the finches were concentrated in the picnic area
> to avoid wind. On a less windy day the finch flock may disperse more to
> take advantage of all the sweet gums planted throughout the park.
>
> I also saw the northern shrike that was previously reported along Panhandle
> Road at the Delaware Wildlife Area. It was great to see some northern birds
> today.
>
> Best,
>
> Joseph Lautenbach
> Delaware, OH
>
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