I know of at least 8 of us at Grandview Cemetery today, who all looked for White-winged Crossbills. It was VERY quiet, and birds of any kind, for some reason, were hard to detect. I was there from late morning until 3:30. As I was ready to leave about 2:15, I went over to talk to two fellows from CSU, one an entomologist acquaintance and one a geophysicist, who were looking for the crossbills. Unlike any of the rest of us who had been combing all corners of the cemetery for hours, they HAD just seen the pair together in the south-central portion (Section 7 just south of the border road with Section 8, as has been the featured location for the last few days.) I congratulated them and headed that way. Near the west end of Section 7 (just north of the golf course portapotty) a cone fell from a medium-sized spruce. Then 30 seconds later another, and 30 seconds later another. The pair were VERY secretive, up in the top of this tree, breaking cones from their stalks, feeding for a bit, then dropping the cones. Getting any identifiable glimpse of either bird by looking up at the crown from underneath or obliquely from the outside was almost impossible. ALL the cones under this and a nearby tree just to the west (which is the westmost tree in Section 7) are the work of the White-winged Crossbills in my opinion. Some of these cones, rather small for typical Colorado blue spruce cones but too light-colored for typical Engelmann spruce cones, have been subsequently worked-over by fox squirrels. All this is very fascinating - 1) that the crossbills are so enamored with these smallish cones, deep within the upper crowns of a few certain trees, 2) that they are ultra-secretive when doing so, 3) that they sever almost every cone from the tree before feeding on it, 4) that they drop the cones in short order, and 5) that this seems an inefficient use of the resource. Obviously, the squirrels are indicating by their chowdering of fallen cones (some of this had been done since yesterday when I took photos) that seeds still exist within these dropped cones. You would think the birds would work them over, leave them up there to further dry for another episode another day. That is, unless they have an ulterior motive and are dropping them purposefully to facilitate drying, which they would take advantage of on the ground, as I have seen Red Crossbills do with lodgepole and ponderosa pine cones from time to time. The pair fed very close to one another for almost half an hour. Of course, all the human seekers of crossbills from Parker, Denver, and Loveland were gone by the time I looked around to summon them. When the crossbills left this tree, the female led (per usual), the male followed close behind (per usual), but only one of them made one little flight note (not per normal) and they flew at mid-crown level to the west, not to be refound this afternoon. I do not know if they went into some big spruce just to the west (as it appeared) to roost, or if they left the cemetery all-together. This is all very interesting.
The bottom line is these birds are gettable, perhaps for several additional weeks. More in their life history appears likely to unfold, they can be VERY difficult to locate, and the south part of the cemetery in early-to-mid afternoon has been most productive over the last few weeks. I would caution folks that from a distance, pine siskins look pretty darn similar to the female (olive-gray, striped, evident white wingbars, usually in the top of spruce feeding on cones). Hearing them is problematic for some, but IF you know that rapidfire, runtogether, "ved-ved-ved...." sound both birds make when flying or when aggitated at the very tiptop of a spruce crown, that's the best way to get onto them. The male's song is difficult to describe but songs from different individuals are available on the xeno-canto webside and various other recordings. The song is much more musical and varied than the chattery flight/contact notes usually heard. Yesterday Dave Gillilan and I found the male flying and calling within a flock of 10-15 siskins. Sometimes they are with the Red Crossbills. Then there are times like today when they by themselves, either individually or as a pair, are silent, and all you get are falling cones, munching sounds, or chaf floating past. I can also say that driving around in a car for 10 minutes between appointments with the radio going, a dog in your lap, and your head out the window, as sane, warm, and fun as it might be, has been tried and probably is not the best way to find these birds. Obviously, in my estimation, these birds are very watchable and worth the effort, even when the chase ends without success. That's birding apart from the aviary at the zoo, right? David Leatherman Fort Collins
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