At noon today I re-checked the Hemlocks at the Hampton (IL) cemetery to see if the WW Crossbills had spread over from Davenport, as they did a few years back with the last invasion. A large flock of Pine Siskins remain, but still no crossbills.
I was thinking about the crossbills: Why is it that so many of the "winter finches" are splashed with various shades of pink (WW Crossbills, Pine Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, Redpolls, Rosy Finches)??? It is easy to imagine how white birds and mammals have been selected in the snowy climates, but what possible advantage would the shades of pink/red/purple afford? On the River up from the I-80 bridge (Rapid City) there were large numbers of Canvasbacks right up by the shore . . . a surreal sight in the bright sunny/fog. The channel was beyond sight, where I presume the Goldeneye were, so I could not check for any Barrow's. Don Robinson, Bettendorf --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/PayDues.aspx. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
