It’s a Lifer for Me

Ann asked if I wanted to go for a walk today – just 1/2 hour, she said. I told the Universe that I wanted to see a new bird.

And the Universe obliged. Ann spotted movement on a tree ahead of us on the trail. Pinkish, black, white… We both though of Purple Finches first when we saw all that pink… But, no! Purple finches don’t have black wings with white stripes… It’s a White-winged Crossbill!

Everyone has been reporting them, but I had not seen one until now. I was so glad I was lugging BOTH binoculars AND camera. The former helped me ID the bird, the latter document it. I took a few shots from too far away. I inched closer and took a few more shots… We were able to get fairly close and watch how it extracted seeds from White Pine cones. Unusual, I found out later, as they prefer the seeds of Spruce and Tamarack.

What a great sighting. Thanks, Ann, for twisting my arm for a short afternoon walk!

Learn more:

• White-winged Crossbills – Cornell All About Birds Site