More Crossbills

We are spending a few days with friends at a cabin in the ski resort of Gaustadblikk which is 3 hours drive south west of Oslo in Telemark County. We are a lot higher here than where I was in Hedmark on Thursday but the woodland is quite similar with scattered and generally short spruce trees which have a heavy cone crop and also have attracted a few Common Crossbills (grankorsnebb). I am unable to ski due to my knee so instead birded around the cabin. The area immediately in front of the cabin was for some reason a magnet for Crossbills and I had at least 10 Common Crossbills here throughout the day. Whilst sitting on the water closet after breakfast I heard a trumpet call outside. I finished up as quickly as I could and rushed outside to again here the trumpet but I was unable to locate the bird which had to be a 2BC (although I am a bit wary given a previous run in with a trumpeting Common Crossbill). I tried playing the calls of both 2BC (båndkorsnebb) and Common Crossbill which I have read work very well and are used in census work but seemed to not to work for me. I walked around the area and had little else. Once back at the cabin I regularly checked outside and mid afternoon a Crossbill sitting atop a spruce had wing bars! I have now recorded 2BC in three counties in 2015 which isn’t bad going.

There was quite low cloud today but I have high hopes for Golden Eagle here if we get better weather in the coming days. The drive from Oslo took us through some great forest habitat and a male Hazel Grouse (jerpe) sitting in snow by the side of the road was a most welcome if fleeting observation.

 

male 2BC (båndkorsnebb)



This more distant view shows the white tips to the tertials not visible in the closer picture

male Common Crossbill. In addition to lacking the white wing bars its more of an orange red compared to the pink red of the 2BC