Counting Birds

We had our county spring bird count on Saturday. I did not get to go for a walk. Why? Because I was assigned to be a feeder watcher. The bird watching community is very surprised that we have a pair of Red Crossbills that have been in our woods since March. In fact, they are displaying some courtship behavior and may just be a nesting pair. So I was assigned to stay in my home and hope to see the crossbills along with other birds that visit. There were not on the list in our county.

I knew they would be coming to the feeders. We see the pair many times every day and they stay at the feeder for long periods of time. I didn't have to wait long.

I saw him in the tree:


And she was there as well:

For a brief time in early April, we actually had at least five Red Crossbills visiting us. We saw three males and two females, often at the same time. Here are the three males:

In this photograph you can see five crossbills at the same feeder. (Taken in early April)

As quickly as they came, all of the crossbills left a few days later, except for the original male and female. They appear to have taken up residence. Oh, wouldn't it be a sight to see fledgling Red Crossbills?

Here is the list of birds I saw at our feeders on Saturday in my 2 hours of official watching:

2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

1 Red-bellied Woodpecker

2 Downy Woodpecker

1 Hairy Woodpecker

3 Pileated Woodpecker

5 American Crow (flying over)

4 Carolina Chickadee

6 Tufted Titmouse

3 White-breasted Nuthatch

1 Carolina Wren

1 Yellow-throated Warbler

2 Pine Warbler

2 Northern Cardinal

1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak

1 Eastern Towhee

3 Purple Finch

10 Pine Siskins

18 American Goldfinch

2 Red Crossbills

I think I was pretty lucky to be assigned as a feeder watcher. Many parts of the county had rain and the watchers were disappointed that they didn't see some of the birds they knew to be there. I'm just glad my crossbills showed up. While the reports are not tallied, it seems that most of the Pine Siskins have left the area. We are one of the few remaining gathering places. Here's hoping they will depart soon and we can hang the rest of our feeders.