Hi Faye,
I just got back from the South Hills today. Cassia Crossbills are readily encountered at Diamondfield Jack campground, along with Type 2 and 5 Red Crossbills.
There is a thread discussing this topic on Facebook in the Birding Travel group,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/birdingtravel/permalink/3166652356886196/
If you are not a member of that group, the main points are:
1) be sure that you have a way to display the spectrogram of the crossbills that you hear since both Cassia and Red crossbills occur there, especially since the Reds can be more numerous and seem to be more approachable. The Merlin app seems to do a good job distinguishing the two species.
2) the birds could be anywhere, and are mainly associated with Lodgepole Pine. Diamondfield Jack (bring your own TP) seems to have the best eBird record. That said, there Is a maddening amount of ATV revving, generator noise, and when we there chainsawing, drunkards, and loud music, and apparently on weekends gun noise. Maybe Porcupine Springs is quieter? I spent an hour up in the woods behind the ground and found it to be more serene, and saw lots of Lodgepole Pine, but no crossbills -; but it was almost noon. I didn't see any burned areas but didn't check out the camper loops specifically. If you try Diamondfield Jack, make sure to be there mid-week (Thursday counts as a weekend day, apparently) and in the morning or late afternoon (not much activity mid day).
Dave
On Aug 16, 2022, at 8:39 AM, Faye McAdams Hands <
zest4parus at hotmail.com> wrote:
Hi Tweeters,
I have a friend who is preparing for a trip to find this newest of birds - the Cassia Crossbill.
Even though I saw it in 2018 at Porcupine Springs Campground, I have heard that there was a recent fire that destroyed this site!!
Has anyone been to Idaho recently and seen this bird?
Any tips on best spots?
(Please feel free to reply to this email)
Thank You and Happy Birding,
Faye Hands
zest4parus at hotmail.com
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