Southerly winds, relatively calm and mild.
There are plenty of crossbills in Øygarden at the moment, though identifying them is a different matter. There are some that look and sound like Common Crossbill grankorsnebb, others that look and sound like Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb and others in what appear to be mixed flocks (something I am often sceptical of for some reason).
A walk at Skogsøy on 17 December produced little, with just a Peregrine vandrefalk of note. Apart from this small numbers of Common Scoter svartand on the sea, a few Whooper Swans sangsvane on the lagoons and the usual White-tailed Eagle havørn.
Elsewhere I ran into flocks of crossbills here and there with eight Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb feeding near Tjeldstø. At Hellesøy I came across a flock that seemed to be a mixed flock of Common Crossbill grankorsnebb and Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb. Sometimes large billed Common are difficult to separate from Parrot.....
On 18th I was out without my camera (stupid I know) and had Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke down to less that two metres away and a cracking fly-by Goshawk hønsehauk....
There are plenty of crossbills in Øygarden at the moment, though identifying them is a different matter. There are some that look and sound like Common Crossbill grankorsnebb, others that look and sound like Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb and others in what appear to be mixed flocks (something I am often sceptical of for some reason).
A walk at Skogsøy on 17 December produced little, with just a Peregrine vandrefalk of note. Apart from this small numbers of Common Scoter svartand on the sea, a few Whooper Swans sangsvane on the lagoons and the usual White-tailed Eagle havørn.
Female Common Crossbill grankorsnebb
Male Common Crossbill grankorsnebb
Crossbill - possibly large billed Common? Upper mandible suitably decurved, lower mandible not really that deep or "S" curved, tips of both mandibles visible. Mmmm......
Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb, suitably deep and curved lower mandible, no crossing tips visible
Middle bird probably Parrot - massive and steeply curved upper mandible, bulging and deep lower.....
Elsewhere I ran into flocks of crossbills here and there with eight Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb feeding near Tjeldstø. At Hellesøy I came across a flock that seemed to be a mixed flock of Common Crossbill grankorsnebb and Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb. Sometimes large billed Common are difficult to separate from Parrot.....
On 18th I was out without my camera (stupid I know) and had Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke down to less that two metres away and a cracking fly-by Goshawk hønsehauk....
1 comment:
Bird #3 must surely be a Parrot. If anything I would wonder what #4 was
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