Looking for Crossbills in Winter.
19th January 2025
Yesterday Susan and I went looking for Common Crossbills. We knew it was a difficult undertaking to get them up close for a photograph because the only views a birder usually gets of these birds is up high in conifer trees, particularly Larch, as these cone seeds appear to be their favourite food source.
Crossbills are a specialist feeder, their beaks overlap allowing them to prise open conifer cones and then extract the seeds with their tongues. They tend to roam a lot flying above conifer plantations looking for appropriate trees with a good crop of cones. This food source is available throughout the winter and this allows these birds to breed very early and indeed after some looking and waiting a few birds flew into a larch tree, although up high as usual, and started to feed. Then there was a first for us as a pair mated briefly before frustratingly flying off, we have never seen this before so a very good sighting.
Another problem with these birds is that there is such a large food source for them in these conifer plantations so they can appear anywhere. The best clue to their presence is their distinctive fluty ‘Clipping’ call as they fly over and a birder must master this call if they want to pin them down. Also if you can hear cones falling down then it’s usually because Crossbills are feeding and dropping cones.
Importantly, Crossbills need to drink frequently because of the nature of their diet and if you can find their ’Watering Hole’ then you really are in business. However, this is more easily said than done and is usually pure luck.
After a good walk around with only brief views we came back to the car had some coffee and just stood beneath the larches we had seen them in previously. Four or five birds appeared after ten minutes, but high up and silhouetted against the sky – no good for a photo. Then two birds started to drop down to lower branches and feed, still a bit high though, then one male bird dropped right down onto the top of a larch sampling about ten feet above the ground. I have seen this behaviour before but you have to react quickly, I took five steps forward and then shot him hand held. These birds are not inordinately shy but there’s a limit and he flew quickly back up high into the tree tops.
However, on checking I could see I had some sort of a shot, at least I had more than I had expected. Most days after looking for Crossbills you come home empty handed, but today I had something – worth the effort.
Canon R5 / Canon 100-500 f7.1 lens with a 1.4 tele converter - Handheld.
Crossbills are a specialist feeder, their beaks overlap allowing them to prise open conifer cones and then extract the seeds with their tongues. They tend to roam a lot flying above conifer plantations looking for appropriate trees with a good crop of cones. This food source is available throughout the winter and this allows these birds to breed very early and indeed after some looking and waiting a few birds flew into a larch tree, although up high as usual, and started to feed. Then there was a first for us as a pair mated briefly before frustratingly flying off, we have never seen this before so a very good sighting.
Another problem with these birds is that there is such a large food source for them in these conifer plantations so they can appear anywhere. The best clue to their presence is their distinctive fluty ‘Clipping’ call as they fly over and a birder must master this call if they want to pin them down. Also if you can hear cones falling down then it’s usually because Crossbills are feeding and dropping cones.
Importantly, Crossbills need to drink frequently because of the nature of their diet and if you can find their ’Watering Hole’ then you really are in business. However, this is more easily said than done and is usually pure luck.
After a good walk around with only brief views we came back to the car had some coffee and just stood beneath the larches we had seen them in previously. Four or five birds appeared after ten minutes, but high up and silhouetted against the sky – no good for a photo. Then two birds started to drop down to lower branches and feed, still a bit high though, then one male bird dropped right down onto the top of a larch sampling about ten feet above the ground. I have seen this behaviour before but you have to react quickly, I took five steps forward and then shot him hand held. These birds are not inordinately shy but there’s a limit and he flew quickly back up high into the tree tops.
However, on checking I could see I had some sort of a shot, at least I had more than I had expected. Most days after looking for Crossbills you come home empty handed, but today I had something – worth the effort.
Canon R5 / Canon 100-500 f7.1 lens with a 1.4 tele converter - Handheld.