Crossbills

Phil Espin · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:52 pm

I thrashed around the Kirkby Moor/Ostlers Plantation area for 5 hours yesterday and did not see or hear a Crossbill, plenty of Green (7) and Great Spotted (5) Woodpeckers, lots of Long tailed Tits and Coal Tits but no Goldcrests.

This used to be the best place in East Lincs for Crossbill, I know others who have failed to find them here this winter. Has any body seen one here in the last 4 winters, they are still unrecorded in TF 26 as far as the Atlas is concerned.

Are Crossbills present in their other usual county haunts this winter, please let me know where and when you've seen them.

Hugh Middleton · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 6:21 pm

I had 5 there on 2nd Feb LAST year (2010)

but none so far this year despite several visits.

Hugh

Russell Hayes · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:42 pm

I had 6 Crossbills fly over near Moor Farm at Grid Ref: TF 22062 64092 on 23/10/2009

Goldcrests present in Ostlers 01/01/2011

Stuart Britton · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:05 pm

My last record of Crossbills was at Market Rasen Golf Course when a mixed flock of 17 were seen on 27th April 2010. None since.

Phil Espin · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:24 pm

Thanks for the details. Crossbills seem to be amazingly thin on the ground at the moment!

Russell, unfortunately the winter atlas period commences on 1 November so we still need records for TF26 for 1 Nov to 28 Feb from 2007 to 2011.

Stephen Routledge · **Posted:** Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:45 am

Interesting to note they are scarce in Linc's,as at a site i visit in North York's,they seem to be plentiful this year.

Regards

Steve.

Graham Catley · **Joined:** Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:20 pm **Posts:** 1667

My only record at Laughton in 2010 was 2 on feb 18th; I presume the difference in North Yorks and Lincs is the food resource -- in Lincs it is mostly Scots and Corsican pine whereas in N Yorks there is a much wider variety of tree sp with lots of Spruce and Larch amongst the pines and these are what the Crossbills seemed to be exploiting when I was there last week; lots of song and birds paired up suggested that food was plentiful and the birds were going to nest.
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Crossbills

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