Highlights so far this morning (December 11) here in Norwich village included 1) a third sighting for this season of a brightly marked male Red-bellied Woodpecker, and 2) a flock of about ten White-winged Crossbills. The Red-bellied again visited the backyard feeding area and was foraging on the ground where black oil sunflower seed and finely cracked corn had been scattered. This third sighting of a male Red- bellied in this neighborhood in recent weeks strengthens the case for this bird being a resident in the vicinity rather than a transient. Recent records of female Red-bellied Woodpeckers from well separated locations in nearby New Hampshire (including one photographed at Lyme Center in the latter half of November), considered together with the male in Norwich, raise the possibility that this species is on its way to becoming more common in the Upper Valley in accord with the general northward expansion of its range in New England. The White-winged Crossbills of this morning were calling conspicuously and landed in the top of a tall conifer along Elm Street but remained only a short time before flying off. My previous sightings of White- winged Crossbills in Norwich were all back in the 1990s with the last of those being over 10 years ago, on March 3, 1998. As a wishful thought, it would be very nice if both these species could be found again in this vicinity during the upcoming Christmas Bird Count to be held on New Year's Day. George George Clark Norwich, VT **************************************************************** 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 ****************************************************************