Date: 10/16/25 6:32 pm From: Joe Morlan via groups.io <jmorlan...> Subject: [pen-bird] Red Crossbills at Skylawn Cemetery.
This morning I visited Skylawn hoping to photograph the Red Crossbills
which have been reported there. My eBird list with photos, video and voice
recording is here..
I did not recognize the calls so I contacted some experts who said that the
call I recorded closely resembles type 12. However that type is centered in
the northeast and has only one previous California record. Another
possibility is the enigmatic type 7, the rarest call type with unknown call
variation and unknown range. For now it remains a mystery. I welcome other
opinions.
Some of you may recall when the Cassia Crossbills were at Skylawn October -
December 2023 with voice recordings by multiple observers confirmed by
experts. This would have been a first California record except that it was
not accepted by the CBRC. Perhaps for good reason. Cassia Crossbill was
described as a species with limited range confined to one county in Idaho.
Then records started in Colorado. But California was perhaps too far a
stretch for the committee when it became apparent that crossbills may
imitate other call types.
Regardless, it would be good to get better recordings of these birds. If
it can be confirmed they are type 7, I think that would be very interesting
as few such recordings exist.
--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA
