On May 6, 2012 at 9:30 AM, I was carrying gear from our cabin to the
car when I thought I heard a Red Crossbill. I usually only hear or
see them flying overhead or perched in the crown of a tall
conifer. It had been weeks since I had heard one at the cabin on
Treasure Island, near Grapeview, Mason Co. (47 deg 20' 32''N, 122 deg
49' 27" W). Since I was not sure if I had just heard a crossbill, I
stopped and listened. Then I heard another single call note from a
branch about 20' up in a Douglas Fir, maybe 50 feet from me across a
grassy clearing.

I continued to wait, and suddenly I was surprised as it called again
and flew toward me. It actually decreased in altitude even though
there was nothing attractive to a crossbill: only the cherries at the
garage behind me. It flew to maybe 4 feet above me, and I briefly
lost track as it disappeared behind the visor of my baseball
cap. Then it landed on the tip of my hat's visor.
I could see the underside of its forked tail just inches in front of
my eyes. Once I got over my initial amazement, I started counting
the time. For 10-11 seconds it repeated a single-note call and moved
its tail from side to side as it presumably checked out the faded
gold lettering on my black hat. Then it flew off to the west
giving a typical two note flight call. It was in bright red plumage.
No other crossbills were in the area, and I did not see any
crossbills the following week there.

Maybe this fellow was on a lone scouting trip?

Mark Oberle
Seattle, WA
oberle at mindspring.com