Crossbills!

Today I was sitting at home, keeping warm - wintery showers and strong winds meant I wasn't tempted to venture outside. Whilst sitting by the table, I could hear birdsong. Excuse me, but it is the middle of February and the weather is atrocious so what could be singing? The answer was a group of crossbills sitting in the pine tree hedge at the edge of our garden. A total of three male Common Crossbills Loxia curvirostra (N=grankorsnebb) as well as a male Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucoptera (N=båndkorsnebb)!

They stayed around the garden for three or four hours, feeding on pine cones, snow-bathing and preening. The light was terrible for photography, but I managed a few OK pictures. The Two-barred Crossbill was a second calendar year male (i.e. a bird hatched in 2011). There are few breeding records of Two-barred in Norway, so it is likely the bird came from farther east, perhaps from Russia.

Male Common Crossbill

Male Two-barred Crossbill (above) with male Common Crossbill (below)

Male Two-barred Crossbill (2nd calendar year)