Hello, I have joined your list at Sandy Stettenheim's suggestion
because of an unusual sighting in Norwich on New Boston Rd. last
Tuesday.

I was outdoors in the vegetable garden in late afternoon when a large
flock of birds alighted on the tops of two nearby trees, one a larch,
and the others on a bare, partially dead red maple nearby.  They
paused no more than a minute or two and then flew on together.

I would estimate there to have been 75-100 birds in each group.  I was
able to see several of them very distinctly, although I had never seen
this bird before.  They had thick finchlike beaks, and matched the
account of white winged crossbills in my Sibley's.  I was very
surprised to see them.  I did not actually see the crossed bill, but
the shape was distinctively finchlike, and it did not occur to me to
look for the crossed bill.  The only other similar coloration that I
found was the pine grosbeak, which are larger than these seemed, and
are not described as traveling in large groups.  The two white
wingbars look much more like the crossbill's in Sibley's
illustrations.

Is it likely I was seeing crossbills?

Kathleen Shepherd
447 New Boston Rd
Norwich

****************************************************************
To post messages, send e-mail to:  [log in to unmask]
Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages.
To contact the list owner:  [log in to unmask]
----------------------------------------------------------------
Web based archives and subscription management are available at:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html
****************************************************************