(Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo) A Bohemian waxwing feeds on crabapples in a yard at Six Mile Lake in northern Dickinson County. This nomadic species has been among the few bright spots in an otherwise dull season so far for visiting winter birds in the region.

As we enter December, bird feeder activity has reportedly been dull so far this season.

Area residents have said they have seen little beyond the usual black-capped chickadees, blue jays, hairy and downy woodpeckers — add to that red-bellied and pileated in some areas — and the two resident nuthatches, red-breasted and white-breasted.

At Six Mile Lake, a couple of tree sparrows — a species that nests along the Arctic tundra and only comes this far south in winter — made an early appearance but must have been passing through. A few American goldfinches in their muted, olive-grayish winter plumage have turned up as well.

But no purple finches. Not even — yet — the pine siskins and common redpolls that had been predicted to be in good numbers this winter, despite having a tube feeder at our home that’s filled with niger seed to entice them. Several others, though, have posted siskin photographs on the Upper Peninsula Birding Facebook page.

Even if they favored other food sources while November stayed relatively mild, the recent snow should trigger the winter residents to come in, take advantage of the easy meal set out for them. Still, not just yet.

The Winter Finch Forecast did foresee some of this, especially with evening grosbeaks — they like to wander each year and natural food sources were plentiful to the north going into this winter.

But I can’t remember a year quite like this one, with so many of the usual birds that can make feeding well worth the money invested absent — again with the caveat of so far, as it is early in the winter and the more harsh conditions of cold and snow are just starting to take hold in earnest.

Even away from the feeders, the normal birds of winter have not been numerous.

Rough-legged hawks, again an Arctic nester that views the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin as going “south” for the winter, normally would be easy to spot in the region as they hover in the air like an oversized kestrel, scanning for prey in fields. I’ve seen only one.

Flocks of snow buntings could be seen along the roadsides in early November but either didn’t stay or have shifted closer to open fields. Dark-eyed juncos have disappeared.

Six Mile Lake is close to being frozen over after remaining relatively ice-free through November. While open, it had visits from the usual late migrants: common and hooded mergansers, common goldeneye. These three duck species enjoy cold-water conditions, so often show up early in spring as the first few pools begin to appear in the melting lake ice. The goldeneyes even can be seen regularly on the Menominee River through the winter. But with the lake now lidded by ice, those are gone.

The one winter species that has been a regular presence in this otherwise quiet late fall-early winter is the Bohemian waxwing. Taking advantage of the well-laden crabapple and other fruit trees, flocks of these nomadic winter visitors have shown up several times in the past few weeks, announcing their presence with a high-pitched trill.

This year has brought more of them — at least at Six Mile Lake — than I’ve seen in my almost eight years up here, though I now know better what to listen for and where to look. They can be distinguished from cedar waxwings by having a rusty patch under their tail and white marks on their wings. With a diet heavy on fruit and berries, they do not typically show up at feeders. But residents who have trees or shrubs on their property that retain fruit into winter may get a visit.

The ones I’ve watched usually mass as a flock in taller nearby trees, then move en masse to feed, twisting among the branches to pluck off the fruit, which they tend to swallow whole.

Any bird this time of year openly feeding in a fruit tree is usually worth taking a second look; it’s been a good spot to see pine grosbeaks as well, not just at Six Mile Lake but in the crabapple trees on Stephenson Avenue where it crosses the Chapin pit on Iron Mountain’s north side. But pine grosbeaks have been no-shows thus far as well.

The only other fruit-loving species taking advantage of the bountiful fruit crop have been American robins, which are known not to migrate if conditions aren’t too severe and food sources are enough to sustain them. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website, https://www.allaboutbirds.org, robins in winter will roost together in trees, sometimes by the thousands. Our region, however, is considered fairly far north for a totally year-round presence.

One last note: Northern cardinals are common year-round residents in the more urban areas but at Six Mile Lake we’re lucky to have one turn up in a winter’s time and it usually doesn’t stick around. I’m not sure if it’s too conspicuous in an area heavy on sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks or just prefers living among the easy pickings available when homes are closer together.

If you’re seeing any of the normal winter birds that have snubbed Six Mile Lake, let me know at bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com.

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