Red Crossbills have been showing up in many states recently, including Wisconsin, Ohio and even central California. It's confounding people because it doesn't seem like a winter irruption. Also, the many different subspecies have many different sounds. You can find a wide variety of songs and flight notes by going to www.xeno-canto.org and typing Red Crossbill in the search box. Many of the songs are definitely sweet!
Maeve Kim
Jericho Center
On Sep 24, 2012, at 8:50 PM, Roy Pilcher wrote:
> If female red crossbills do not sing then this tentative ID does not get
> out of the starting blocks!
> I was drawn to this bird by its song while it was perched on a snag with
> the morning sun coming from behind it at about 45 degrees. The squat shape
> of the bird with a deep notched tail and the lemonny/yellow color said "red
> crossbill female". The bird took of spiraling heavenward in a half circle
> in order to make the upper canopy of a grove of white pines.
> The song was sweet, without the jarring and guttural sounds that the
> Smithsonian recordings generally indicate for red crossbill although one of the
> recordings is somewhat sweeter. The flight call was a series of "tsinks"
> to my ears!
> Any thoughts would be helpful.
> I have not entered "it" on the report of birds seen today at Kent Pond.
>
> Kent Pond, Rutland, US-VT
> Sep 24, 2012 8:10 AM - 10:05 AM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 0.5 mile(s)
>
> 22 species
>
> Canada Goose 68 On the pond.
> Mallard 10
> Blue-winged Teal 6
> Common Loon 2
> Spotted Sandpiper 1
> Belted Kingfisher 1
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
> Downy Woodpecker 1
> Hairy Woodpecker 1
> Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
> Pileated Woodpecker 1
> Eastern Phoebe 1
> Blue Jay 42 Mostly moving south in small flocks, largest was 15.
> American Crow 5
> Common Raven 2
> Black-capped Chickadee 5
> Tufted Titmouse 1
> Gray Catbird 2
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
> Song Sparrow 4
> White-throated Sparrow 3
> American Goldfinch 4
>
>
> Cheers,
> Roy Pilcher
> The Gables at East Mountain, Rutland, Vermont
>
> Speaking the same language.
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