Now that Redpolls have been lumped into one species I think
it is time to do the same with Crossbills. Are Common Crossbill, Scottish
Crossbill and Parrot Crossbill really different species or are they just
different forms along a clinal range where dominant food source is the determining
factor? My memory of reading what the Sound Approach wrote is that Common
Crossbill contains so many distinct populations with different calls and bill
sizes that they could just as easily be considered different species. Scottish
Crossbill has always been a farce (don’t they go “missing” in some years and
then turn up again with a slightly different call?) that I think was driven by
Britain’s desire to have an endemic species but now that Red Grouse has been
split from Willow Grouse then Britain has its symbolic endemic so Scottish Crossbill
can be allowed to fade away. Parrot Crossbill at the extreme end does look and
sounds very different from the opposite extreme of Common Crossbill but there
are many, many birds that are somewhere in between and you (I) really struggle
to put a label on them other than “crossbill”.
This last week I have seen a nice variety of crossbills that
brought back my dislike of the species group. At the weekend we had some
crossbills in nice mature pine (as opposed to spruce) forest. This would
normally mean that they are Parrots and in Norway Parrots are called furukorsnebb
(mean Pine Crossbill) whereas Common are grankorsnebb (meaning Spruce Crossbill).
Looking at them in the binoculars it was not immediate what they were and
neither were their calls particularly helpful one way or the other. Zooming in
on photos I identified them as Parrots but definitely not the largest billed of
their kind. Maybe they are a far better fit for Scottish? Is it not the case
that crossbills develop bills to suit the food they are specialising in so a (sub)population
that has good access to pine grows a larger bill than one that has access to
spruce or larch?
Then on Monday I had classic Parrot and Common together
(both in bill size and call) plus a bird that was somewhere in between.
male Parrot Crossbill (furukorsnebb) from Ringebu at the weekend
the bill does look huge on this one
the female looks classic Parrot but the male not quite
here they are looking good
but at this angle not so
And pictures from Monday closer to home:
this male is definitely not a Parrot although in the field that was my original conclusion
this pair with their smaller bills without parallel upper and lower mandibles are clearly Common Crossbills
the male of the same pair
a pair of Parrots Crossbills - large billed, bull necked classic birds
the male of the pair
this should be the same pair but the male is now looking quite different
this should be the same male who again looks different depending on angle
the female is the Parrots but the male is one of the Common Crossbills (possibly the first bird I have pictures and not from the pair)
here it is easier to see that the male is not a Parrot
the differences are perhaps easier to see here
This video has the two pairs and also the calls. The deeper call we hear most often is the Parrot and the higher pitched call is from the Common
here a still warm road kill juvenile Common Crossbill from Maridalen today. The bill looks to be fully developed
We have now had two nights without frost and along with
southerly winds I have been expecting a flood of migrants. Of course, that has
not been the case and viz mig has been a particular disappointment with just a
few flocks of Pink-footed Geese, 2 Cranes and a Kestrel. I had a real hope for
a few raptors but it is clearly still too early still (and I have this “surprise”
every year at this time….).
Despite the lack of viz mig there has been an arrival of new
birds. Dunnocks and Redwings are suddenly back and singing from woodland, White
and Grey Wagtail are suddenly wagging away and there are considerably more Lapwing, Mistle
Thrushes, Chaffinches, Bramblings and a large Twite flock in Maridalen.
Surprisingly though there are no Robins back yet but that must happen soon.
The Hawk Owl has been showing very well as it exploits a
rich source of Bank Voles (klatremus) and I was very happy to be able to film
it dismembering and then eating one.
A trip to Østensjøvannet was very birdy with lots of noisy
gulls and various wildfowl with a pair of Smew being the absolute highlight.
The video I have long wanted to capture showing the beheading, entrails removing and swallowing of a vole
Hawkie on a wire
and on its way down for what ended up being an unsuccessful vole hunt
this video has a few sequences with it giving its call that I also heard frequently when it first turned up in November
male Smew (lappfiskand)
pair
and with a Grey Heron (gråhegre)
3 male Teal (krikkand)
and a close of up another bird
the Heron was not at all popular with the Black-headed Gulls (hettemåke)
Goosander (laksand) are also back
3 species of returning gulls on the ice and 2 male Goosander
Grey Wagtail (vintererle) is back in the Dale
as is Dunnock (jernspurv)
and Redwing (rødvingetrost)
and a large flock of Twite (bergirisk) is having a stop off on its migration
and the first White Wagtail (linerle) of the year
not in Maridalen and not a good picture but I cannot remember capturing Parrot (furukorsnebb) and Common Crossbill (grankorsnebb) together before
Canada and Greylag Geese in Maridalen suddenly became very alert when this fox appeared
As soon as I had expressed my gratitude to the Pine
Grosbeaks for saving the birding winter then they seemed to disappear from
Oslo. None were reported at the weekend and on Saturday a whooping 502 were
counted viz migging in the SW of Norway suggesting that the invasion was
continuing and birds were still continuing dispersing south. I tweeted about
the viz mig sighting and as I hoped it got British birders excited😊
To all British birders:
502 Pine Grosbeaks were counted flying WEST on the coast of SW Norway yesterday.
On Monday and Tuesday though I found there were still lots
of Grozzas in Oslo, or at least in the Tryvann area. It would be interesting to
know if these are birds that have been here the last two weeks or whether they
are new arrivals. And if new arrivals have they come from the north or are they
reorienting birds from the south coast?
Whilst in the forests searching for the Grosbeaks it is
impossible not to notice the enormous numbers of Common Crossbills which are
singing and getting ready to breed. There is quite a variety of calls and bill
sizes amongst them which I assume means a number of different types (sub
populations) are present in southern Scandinavia this winter. Some approach
Parrot Crossbills and indeed I thought I had a pair recently but looking at my
pictures I get more of a parakeet feeling.
Hawk Owls are also coming with an increasing number of
records in lowland habitats with the closest now only around 30km from
Maridalen 🤞🙏
an adult male Pine Grosbeak (konglebit) in perfect light
an adult female I believe due to the rounded tail feather
a 1st winter male I believe due to the red feathering appearing on the head
1st winter male with pointed tail feathers and red on head
adult female with very rounded tail feathers
they are never as photogenic when they are feeding on spruce buds
crossbill challenge. The male in the middle which was paired with the female to the left has a very chunky jizz with thick neck and a sizeable bill but is it correct for a Parrot? I am unsure. The male to the right is a Common
a pair of Commons
I don't see any real reason for the current split of crossbills into three species in northern Europe: Common, Parrot and Scottish and it would be far easier if they were all lumped in the same way Redpolls have been. This lump may have cost me two species for #Oslo2024 but also means I do not have to worry with how to assign this individual
Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin) can still be found
a 1st winter Pink-footed Goose (kortnebbgås) can be found in exactly the same spot on a stubble field every day this week. It has no obvious injury (although I have not seen it fly) but is clearly not completely healthy
