Tuesday, January 27, 2009

White-winged Crossbills in Toronto

I took my dog to the nearby dog park yesterday, and I brought my camera along in the hope of seeing a cardinal or two in the pine trees.

To my surprise, I heard and saw a flurry of movement that I recognized as Crossbill activity! I couldn't believe it. The birds were moving about quickly, and they were not too visible. Before I knew it most of them had flown off or disappeared. I was not happy, to say the least. To top it off, I had trouble with my lens, and I couldn't get it to cooperate at all.

What I did see were juncos, chicadees, and goldfinches. I told my story to my husband, but when he looked at my blurry shots, he told me that I was taking pictures of juncos. D'uh! I knew they were juncos! I got the feeling that he didn't believe me.

Well, I went back today with a pair of binoculars, and my dog, of course. I spotted a bird perched at the very top of a pine tree...When I got there, I heard Crossbill chatter, but this time, one or two showed themselves to me.

I managed to observe about 4 males, and 1 female. I was over the moon. I took my dog back home, and I foolishly decided to return with camera in hand. So, what happened?
NO CROSSBILLS!!! Just some juncos that decided to take pity on me.

That is why I am not posting a picture today.It just may be that the crossbills want to keep their presence a secret(?)

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