On Sunday at Moose Bog Dave Govatski and were able to watch a male White
winged Crossbill feed a fledgling, at least that is what we thought we were
seeing but it could have been a male feeding the female as they do when she
is incubating eggs. Because of the height & distance could not confirm
whether it was an adult female or fledgling. The Birder's Handbook says they
tend to feed the fledglings on the ground so probably was the female.

 

At Victory today large numbers of Purple Finch & Pine Siskin along the River
Road along with 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers and Evening Grosbeak fly-overs.
Both crossbills were around. On Roger's Brook Trail more Red Crossbills, 4
Ruffed Grouse, Evening Grosbeak fly-overs and a couple Pileated Woodpeckers.


 

A few observations: Pine Siskin now are using a vocalization for a note or
two that sounds similar to Boreal Chickadees so try for visual confirmation
when you report Boreal Chickadees. Blue Jays at Moose Bog recently are using
the Black-backed Woodpecker's "click" call and are becoming very good at
fooling me. Gray Jays recently are making a 2 or 3 note call that sounds
like the beginning of an accipiter. It seems to me, anyway, that
White-winged Crossbills can sound like both White-winged & Red Crossbills at
times depending on their variation when vocalizing while Red Crossbills
never sound like White-winged Crossbills so visuals help confirm which you
are reporting.  And depending on composition of a snag (hollow or thick) and
the variation of each bird,  Pileated Woodpeckers when drumming can be
mistaken for the drumming of Black-backed Woodpeckers. 

 

Tom Berriman