Some birds and creatures are AWOL

Here at our home in Nolalu we are blessed to have a bunch of friendly birds and animals to cheer us up through the winter. The four deer in the video visit our bird feeders every couple of hours. We also have several ruffed grouse or partridge that feed on the birch catkins right outside the windows. Then there are all the songbirds: bluejays, Canada jays, hairy woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, goldfinches, chickadees, juncos, and pine siskins. Although not at the feeders I have also seen redbreasted nuthatches and white-winged crossbills.
But there are some birds and creatures missing this year. No one has seen a pine grosbeak in the entire region. The Christmas Bird Count for all the towns in the Northwest didn't record a single bird. There were a few found east of Lake Superior. There aren't any evening grosbeaks being seen either but that is not as unusual as they are known as an irruptive species. Pine grosbeaks, however, are dependable winter birds at feeders and their total absence is a mystery.
When it comes to creatures, I have not seen a sign of a wolf or a fox on our land in Nolalu. Last year the only fox we saw were grey foxes, a new species here. I have a couple of trailcam photos of a coyote this winter. Only a few miles east of here coyotes are known to run in packs but here at our home, which is in a more-forested area, all coyotes seen are singles.
Something also seems to have happened to red squirrels. There are none at the feeder where in the past we could have 14 at a time. I have seen a few squirrel tracks but, incredibly, I have only seen a single animal.
Is all of this somehow due to the big seed crop produced by trees last summer? I don't know but it is the only explanation I can think of. Red squirrels' primary food source are conifer seeds. Trees last summer were so heavy with cones that their tops were bent over.