Foam Lake Birding No. 170

FOAM LAKE BIRDING

No. 170

            As February is coming to an end winter is still with us despite improving weather conditions.  Although I have seen Horned Larks it is still a good month or so before more migrants arrive so, I will be sticking with winter birds for the next little while.  To that end I have spent quite a bit of time photographing the Redpolls in our yard especially the Hoary. 

            One of the group of birds that I have not covered as of yet are the crossbills. There are four species in Europe but only two in North America, the Red Crossbill and White Winged Crossbill,  both of which occur locally.   Both species are sparrow-sized reddish birds with black wings and unique sharply pointed bills whose tips cross over each other when the bill is closed.  The bills are especially designed to pry the seeds out of the cones of conifers like pine and spruce.  The Red Crossbill is slightly larger of the two with a heavier and more powerful bill.  As a result the Red Crossbill tends to feed on larger and tougher cones such as pine while the White Winged prefers spruce but neither is overly picky and any cone will do. 

            The Red Crossbill is much more widespread covering all of North America including parts of Mexico.  There are about nine different and distinct subspecies that some taxonomists feel just might be nine different species altogether.  If that proves to be the case then there will be ten different species of crossbills in North America.  On the other hand, the White Winged shows no variation in different regions and therefore will in all probability remain as one species.   Also its distribution is much more limited being confined to Canada and Alaska except in the winter when some migration takes place to the North Central and Eastern US.  Even though the crossbills are not really migratory they are wanderers constantly on the move searching for food, except during nesting season, making their appearance in any one place highly unpredictable.  Locally, both species can only be expected during the winter or spring. 

            The males of both species are similar but with close examination can be easily distinguished  from one another.  The Red Crossbill's body is a deep dull red with pure black wings.  Some subspecies, however, do have faint white wing bars.  The White Winged is more of a pink or rosy colour with two very pronounced white bars on its black wings.  Males and females are different.  I have seen both species in our yard but the Red is the more common. 

            One of my earliest experiences with crossbills was in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We were at the Mt. Rushmore monument standing in the shade of some pine trees hiding from the midday sun when we noticed that we were being repeatedly sprinkled with scales from pine cones.  We could also hear faint but constant crackling sounds coming from the trees above.  The mystery was solved when we looked up and saw a small flock of Red Crossbills overhead feeding on the seeds of pine cones. 

            This week I am including two pictures.  One is of two male and one female Red Crossbills sitting on a cedar just outside our window hiding from the spring storm in April of 2012.  (The storm had forced a number of birds to land in our yard including a flock of Red Crossbills.)  The other photo is of the Hoary Redpoll feeding on the ground on spilled black oil seeds along with House Sparrows and Common Redpolls.  It is shown all fluffed out like a little fur ball trying to get some warmth in the morning sun as it fed. 

Foam Lake Birding No. 166

FOAM LAKE BIRDING

No. 166

            Earlier today as we were having our late morning coffee and watching the House Sparrows and Common Redpolls (hereinafter referred to as simply Redpolls) feeding frantically at the oilseed and Canola feeders respectively the birds suddenly scattered in a panic.  At that moment a Northern Shrike landed in a Pincherry tree near the feeders and proceeded to survey the area.  I rushed for my camera but this shrike was impatient and flew off before I could get a shot of him.  The following morning when it was still quite dark he came again but flew off empty handed again.  Bird feeding stations are a very convenient place for predators like shrikes to find lunch.  It was a good half day before the birds returned. 

            On a more positive note the Pine Grosbeaks have returned after an absence of several days.  I do not know if they are the same birds that were here before as there are more females in this flock.  As a result I did manage to get some good pictures of the females. 

            The number of Redpolls at our feeders has gone from a half dozen or so to four or five times as many birds.  To accommodate that many birds we have put out another Canola feeder.  I am still surprised at their preference for Canola seed when all the other birds completely avoid it.  If nothing else they are cheap to feed. 

            Like Pine Grosbeaks, Redpolls are circumpolar in distribution nesting in the evergreen scrub in the Tundra and flying south of the Boreal Forest for the winter.  Like all finches the males and females are different although the differences in Redpolls are not as obvious as in other finches.  Both sexes are small brown striped birds with yellow bills and red forehead patches.  The males also have a rosy wash at the top and along the sides of the breast.  From a frontal view both birds have a full length broad white stripe that can be compared to a man wearing an unbuttoned suit exposing a white shirt. 

            There is another species of Redpoll, the Hoary Redpoll, that occasionally shows up here mixed in with a flock of Common Redpolls.  The Hoary is a very white version of the Common with very little striping on the breast and belly nor does the male have any rose on the breast only a slight tinge of pink.  The Hoary spends the entire year on the Tundra except for the odd stray that shows up here.  Fortunately, there has been one at our feeders this year.  Now if only I can get a picture of it.  The two species are closely related and taxonomists have lumped them together as one species in the past only to separate them later on.   Presently they are considered two species. 

            This week I have included three pictures of Redpolls.  One is of a lone bird, a mature male, in a tree showing the dark red forehead patch, yellow bill and pink on the breast: the second photo is of a flock of Redpolls (no mature males) at our Canola feeder: the third is of a lone female feeding on seeds of a plant in our garden.