1/26/14 (Southwestern Essex Co., NY)
At dawn this morning, I was attempting to record (on my iPhone) singing and calling Red Crossbills, when I decided to use my scope and iPhone attachment to photograph a female Red Crossbill at the top of a spruce tree. I took one photo when a male flew in and fed the female! I captured the moment - not a great photo, but enough to see some details. The male's head is upright with his bill wide open, and the female turned her head to the side to retrieve the food from the male's mouth. I posted several photos to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . I believe I am hearing two different "Types" of Red Crossbills at this location based on the calls. Matt Young, at the Cornell Lab, has documented two different Red Crossbill Types nesting side by side in the past. I lasted only a couple hours in the brutal cold this morning. I got a couple distant recordings that may be enough to "Type" the crossbills. I thought I had a wonderful close recording of a singing Red Crossbill, and when it finished singing, I looked down to see that I failed to hit the record button! My hands were so numb that I could barely work the scope and iPhone. I heard some fascinating Red Crossbill vocalizations this morning, and I wished I had a large recording dish! I am a bit late with a blog on one of the most interesting animal behaviors I've witnessed. The October 2011 observation was just a few months after the unexpected death of my mother. I put a number of writing projects on hold, and I am still catching up. Here is a blog post of my observation of Common Raven-Eastern Coyote communication: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/behavior/communication-between-com mon-ravens-and-eastern-coyotes-an-observation . Mario Davalos, an artist/photographer/birder/writer, from the Dominican Republic, recently wrote a lovely blog about the Adirondacks/Northern NY: http://mariodavalos.com/2014/01/16/snowy-vacation-in-the-adirondacks/ . (He also visited NYC this past month and there is a lovely blog from that experience also!) It was so interesting to watch Mario photograph birds and landscapes with an artist's eye. He gave me a copy of his book, "Wildscapes: Travels to Cure a Restless Soul", which is spectacular! Unfortunately, it is not for sale, but he can be contacted for a copy. He has a number of book projects underway, and they will be for sale when finished. I meet very interesting people in my birding life, and Mario is one of those remarkable people that you know you'll be hearing a lot more about over time. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
