At about 12:30 PM today I saw a flock of at least 7 Red Crossbills at Wirth Park in Hennepin County. The flock was made up of both male and females birds and was on the ground drinking from a small seep that crosses the trail. The spot where I saw them was just northeast of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden in an area that has no coniferous trees in the immediate vicinity, although there are certainly plenty in the park. I was alerted to the possibility of this species by another birder who I ran into, but unfortunately did not get his name. He said that he saw two crossbills perched in a deciduous tree at the same spot, but because of his viewing angle was unable to tell if they were Red or White-winged Crossbills. After hearing this, I went off to look through areas of the park with more coniferous trees without success. I then returned by the original spot on my way home and saw the birds on the ground. They flew up into the nearby trees when some walkers passed by, but a few returned to the ground a few minutes later. Given the reports of Red Crossbills from Morrison, Sherburne and Cottonwood counties this month, maybe we're in for a major irruption this year.
Howard Towle Golden Valley, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
