Reports on “mast” crops indicate the northern forests had a very good summer in terms of seed production, be they covered by shell, husk or tasty fruit.

These materials usually are referred to as hard mast, such as nuts, and soft mast, which would be berries and fruits.

The beech and oak trees this year have been particularly prolific in this part of the Hiawatha National Forest, said Paul Thompson, a forest ecologist based in St. Ignace who is with the USDA Forest Service.

“It’s an excellent year both for acorns and beech nuts,” Thompson said.

CHOKE CHERRY, one of the most common native fruit producers found in the region. These aren’t quite ripe yet, when they will turn a deep red-purple. The Upper Peninsula also has black cherry and pin cherry.

That should benefit species as big as black bear and deer to ruffed grouse and turkeys to squirrels and voles, Thompson said.

The fruit-bearing trees and shrubs — chokecherries, black cherries, mountain ash — did well, too, but a dry period late in the summer led to some of the berries — blueberries in particular — becoming “raisins,” Thompson said.

Because of that, he had a suggestion for grouse hunters: Look along the edges of streams and wetlands, as the birds may be drawn to the berries close to a water source that stayed more plump.

The U.P. and northern Wisconsin aren’t the only regions seeing an abundance of forest edibles. Canada reportedly has a bountiful seed and fruit crops as well.

While that’s good news for the birds that stick around for the winter, it’s not so good for the prospects of seeing some of the more northernly species as in some past years, said Ron Pittaway of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in Canada, whose annual Winter Finch Forecast came out this week at http://www.jeaniron.ca/2019/wff19.htm.

WINTERBERRY, ALSO KNOWN as Michigan holly, is a true native holly that produces berries that aren’t edible for people but a favorite of birds. This small tree or shrub favors wetter soil conditions.

This will not be an irruption year for any of the desired winter finch types — pine grosbeaks, purple finches, red and white-winged crossbills, common and hoary redpolls, pine siskens and evening grosbeak — because all have plenty to eat right where they are, Pittaway predicted. Likely the Bohemian waxwings that graced the area last winter will remain north as well, he said.

Pittaway repeatedly used the terms “excellent” and “bumper” in describing cone, tree seed and berry crops this year.

But don’t lose hope that this region will be completely bereft of these prized winter birds, said Ryan Brady, Natural Heritage Conservation Program biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Pittaway’s report is focused more in the northeast, with Michigan being on the western edge, Brady noted. So some of his predictions don’t always prove true for this area, such as a strong movement of evening grosbeaks south last year — New England and the eastern seaboard states saw flocks of them, but they were more sporadic in the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin.

Since the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin have a similar bounty of food available, anything that decides to wander south could find the area much to their liking. So a few of these more colorful winter birds can be expected to still show up, making it worth keeping the feeders stocked, even if the main traffic is chickadees or hairy and downy woodpeckers.

The region should get a better indication of what might be out there by the end of November, Brady said. Even then, don’t despair — some winter birds might not make a move until mid-winter as their original food sources become more depleted, he added.

So even if you don’t initially see them, Brady said, “that doesn’t mean they’re not coming.”

Betsy Bloom can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 240, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com.