This Saturday afternoon around 4:00 PM I was fortunate enough to see a flock of 7 Red Crossbills at Wirth Park. I was standing on the west side of the lake where the inlet from the marsh enters the lake when the birds flew into a deciduous tree right next to the lake. They stayed in the tree for about 5 minutes, so that I had a nice long look, before flying west across Wirth Parkway to an area of mature pines and spruces.
I have birded Wirth Park for over 20 years and always figured I'd run into crossbills there with all the habitat, but I never figured it would be on such a nice fall afternoon. Howard Towle Golden Valley, MN
