Date: 10/21/24 4:37 pm From: C <empidonaxdvg...> Subject: [Maine-birds] RFI - Red Crossbill feeding observations
Hi all,
I’m writing to follow up on my previous requests for observations of
eastern red crossbills feeding on conifers.
This is an especially interesting year and time of year for crossbill
feeding behavior. Last year there was a massive white pine cone crop in the
Northeast that lots of type 12, type 2, type 4, and type 1 crossbills fed
on until rather late in the spring. There does not seem to be such a
massive cone crop this fall and most of the types 2 and 4 have returned to
the western US. As such, I’m interested in seeing what the diets of the
type 12 and 1 birds look like in a more “normal” year.
As a reminder, I’m looking for audio recordings of crossbill calls from the
eastern US/Great Lakes with information on the conifers the birds are
feeding on. The recordings do not have to be made with any advanced
equipment – many phone recordings are sufficient. Pictures of the conifer
cones are most helpful. However, if you are comfortable with conifer
identification, notes on which conifers crossbills are feeding on are also
valuable.
Based on contributions from over 100 folks across the eastern US, I’ve
accumulated nearly 1,000 (!) records of eastern red crossbills and the
conifers they’re feeding on. If you’re interested, I’ve posted a little
blurb on my website
(https://ckporter.weebly.com/eastern-red-crossbill-ecology.html)
illustrating and describing the preliminary data for type 12, the crossbill
I have the most data for and am most interested in for this project.
Although there are some intriguing patterns in the data so far, describing
the feeding ecology of type 12 and other eastern call types will require
*much* more data across many seasons and years. So, if you have crossbills
in your area, please consider uploading recordings and conifer information
to eBird. I’ve also created an iNaturalist project (link below) where
observations can be uploaded. If you don’t use eBird or iNaturalist, please
feel free to send me any observations directly.
Thanks a ton for considering my request. Please feel free to reach out with
any questions. Also, please pass this onto anyone you think might be
interested in participating.
