There has been discussion about the difficulty in finding a Crossbill. This is a different species, a Red Crossbill, which is primarily and western bird. The difficulty in finding them is the same however-they are not an uncommon bird but are very local. Here today, gone tomorrow. This picture and the next one I will post (a female) are memorable for me because not only can these birds be difficult to find and see, but they like high trees. These two shots were taken near a water supply that the birds came to. Virutally eye level.
Red Crossbill
Country United States
State Oregon
Location Cabin Lake Oregon
Gender Male
Age Adult
Activity In or By Water
- Created Timestamp01/01/1970 00:00:00
- CopyrightCOPYRIGHT BY JIM BABBITT 2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
You got some really nice shots of them! They have showed up in Illinois this fall which is a very rare event for us in the midwest.
Thank you. This is a different species, the Red Crossbill, than the one you guys were chasing. They are common locally here in the west, but can be really hit or miss finding them. I have seen them from far southern Mexico to the state of Washington in conifer forests. If you can find an isolated water source or a salt source in or at the edge of a conifer forest, often the Crossbills will be around.
Gorgeous color on this Crossbill. Glad you tracked it down and got such a good shot.
Lots of variation in colors in the individuals I see.
Interesting colors.