Birders,

During 3 days of camping (August 2-4) with my wife and kids at Paul
Lake Provincial Park, about 15 miles NE of Kamloops, RED CROSSBILLS
(Douglas-fir form) were the commonest and most conspicuous birds in
the park. They were calling and singing everywhere, and acted as if
they might be breeding there.

I also heard and saw at least 2 or 3 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS there on
August 2 and 3. One bird was loudly singing on both days.

There have been few reports of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS in the Southern
Interior this year, and this was my first sighting for the year. Could
this be the start of another late-summer invasion of White-wings, such
as we have experienced several times in the last 20-30 years?

By the way, the conifers in the Paul Lake campground are about 90%
Douglas-fir, and the altitude only about 800 metres (2800 feet)-- this
is not the preferred spruce-forest habitat of White-winged Crossbills.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, BC
contopus at home.com