John Hamil Photographs

Red Crossbill

Once every few years I might see a flock of Red Crossbills in some distant tree top and get enough of a grainy image to recognize them. 2015 has been, so far, the only year that they've come into the yard. They move about in groups of a dozen birds. They would stay in the area for a day or two then return after being gone for a week. I would see them fly in as a group two or three times a day, rest in the tops of the trees at the top of the hill overlooking the bird bath, then come down in a group for a bath but more often for a drink. Their bills do not close so the dribble when they drink. They're amusing if skittish. Males range from orange to red and females are yellow.