From a quest for a lifer to a “ho hum” bird

In the past seeing this bird, a Red Crossbill, was a quest. In Southern California, where I live, this bird does come to our coastal mountains, but is uncommon. When it does come, it tends to be transient-on its way elsewhere, and hence has led to many fruitless chases for ebird sightings.
As with many bird species, a simple switch in location changes that. These birds were seen in eastern Oregon, where they are common. In fact, at this location, Cabin Lake, there were flocks of literally 100’s of them. The challenge was not seeing them, but rather it was finding an individual bird to photograph. There were too many of them. These are both juveniles; the far bird is a male and the near one a female. Probably 1st year birds. As they mature their respective colors will become more vibrant and solid across their breasts. This shot was taken by my wife, Deb; she used a Canon R6, 100-500 mm lens at 500 mm from a range of 20′. Shot at f/8.0, SS 1/800, ISO 1000. Cropped significantly from left and bottom, the wood post was slightly darkened and the birds slightly brightened.