>For those keeping notes on our crossbill incursion,
>
>Today (3/5) as I stepped outside to head home for lunch, I heard that
>distinctive twittering: a flock of White-winged Crossbills were in the tops
>of a group of Norway Spruce (I knew Andy would ask) just north of the Tree
>Fruit Research and Extension Center (WSU-Wenatchee).
>
>They didn't stick around for long, my guess long enough to find the cones
>empty, and headed to the west. As they went overhead, I could make out the
>white wing patches and a few red bodies. There were about 25 birds in the
>flock.
>
>--Jerry Tangren
><tangren at wsu.edu>


Thanks Jerry for the news. I notice that Richard Rowlett had 65 W.w.
Crossbills in n. Okanogan County in spruce last week. In the fall of '95, I
noted them only in Engelmann spruce in the Okanogan Highlands. Where there
was spruce, there were White-winged Crossbills. I suspect the White-wings
recently observed on Mt. Spokane early this month were n western hemlocks, a
bit of the "Interior Wet Belt" (BC jargon) is found there. White-wings seem
to do okay on western hemlocks too. Of course, why there are not a zillion
White-winged Crossbills in coastal BC and WA this winter is a perfectly good
question.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato Wa