spent many hours this morning looking at seeding thistles along the Humber bank; result nil but I did have a plip plip female Common Crossbill going west at Barton and a harder chick chick bird at Barrow Haven later -- the coast is likely to get one first but inland woods are worth a look; a few flocks around Laughton but none tied down or even seen perched as yet
from Birdwatch web site The female or immature Two-barred Crossbill today on Spurn, East Yorkshire, may be the vanguard of a new invasion, birders are hoping. Sweden has reported an increase of 177 per cent more sightings than normal, including flocks of 50, 60 and 130, all passing through southern Sweden in a roughly south-west direction.
Interestingly, this route takes them almost directly to Spurn in a straight line. The last Two-barred Crossbill invasion was in late July and early August 2008, when there were 28 records involving 65 birds, mostly on the Northern Isles. and from Bird forum: Interesting. The influx is gathering momentum here. More and more are turning up here by the day, flocks of adults have been widely reported. The islands on the Stockholm Archipelago seems to be getting good numbers, they are even turning up in the suburbs in smaller numbers...
Interestingly the only Lincs record was also in 1889 so that must be some sort of omen!
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