Parrot Crossbills

Difficult decisions to make this week. Do I chase after a Sussex Tick with the Black Guillemot at Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne or do I go looking for a decent picture of a Parrot Crossbill and a possible life tick in the putative American Horned Lark.

Unbelievable really. Having gone through nearly two months with little of interest in the Sussex area we get three good targets up on the same day.

It was a no brainer. The Crossbills and Horned Lark were a bit further to travel but either one was worth going for. Lets just hope that the Black Guillemot is a long stayer.

I would love to be able to show you a picture of the American Horned Lark. We did see it, feeding on the ground as we approached, about ten metres away, but it had flown before I managed to get the camera out. It returned later but this time to its favoured area of wall, on the western side of the  northern reservoir, about 200 metres away. You could make it out through a scope but there was no chance of even a record shot.


We were luckier with the Parrot Crossbills, a flock of sixteen or seventeen birds. They did at least give some close views although they seemed to be able to time it perfectly to arrive as the sun went behind the clouds and depart as soon as the light improved. We also had one spell of over two hours when the birds went missing. It was really cold waiting for them to return, take some extra layers if you are going to look for them.

The location was near Camberley at Wishmoor Bottom in the Swinley Forest, at the back of the Royal Military Academy. Park at the top of Kings Ride and follow the track north for about half a mile. When you see a black and white barrier on the left take the  right turn and walk about forty metres and then turn left. Another hundred metres on this track and you are in the right area. Look for the crowds around one of the pine trees.

Not so convincing as a Parrot Crossbill

A touching moment - pity about the light

Challenging conditions and difficult birds to photograph but these are better than anything I have managed to get in the past. It's just great to be amongst the birds again.

On the downside, no record shot of the American Horned Lark. That brings to nine the number of birds on my list of seen but not photographed.

Old Lodge - Parrot Crossbills

After three days at Old Lodge, Dave and I eventually caught up with the Parrot Crossbill flock. The pictures we got were not particularly good. The birds stayed distant in the tops of the trees, there was a lot of movement, the light was poor etc. - I always have a good excuse.

Was it worth standing around in the cold and rain for all that time? Of course it was, a year tick, a Sussex tick, and a bird I may not see again locally for a long time. It's just a pity that it kept me away from home and all that decorating that needs doing!!!

For once I was glad that there were a number of other birders present. I did see a couple of males with the big bills that I was expecting on Parrot Crossbills but there were also Commons present and the pictures I got were not as  definitive as I would have liked. If I had returned home with just the pictures you see here I would have had my doubts over what we had actually seen. Fortunately there were some real experts present and if they were happy to confirm Parrots in the flock who am I to argue.

A good year tick but it only makes me more determined to get some decent pictures of them. One day they will be at head height, on the outside of the tree, in sunlight ...... it does happen but its very rare.

Crossbills - Common, Parrot and Two-barred

A day of highs and lows. The birding was great but the photo opportunities were awful. We had travelled over to Hemsted Forest in Kent to see the reported Parrot and Two-barred Crossbills. They had been around for a few days but we hoped that by leaving it to a rainy Monday morning we would avoid being involved in a major twitch. We were partly successful, I would call it a mini-twitch, but the combination of people and poor weather did restrict the photography.

Driving over there in heavy rain we had assumed the worse and had decided that if we could come away with decent pictures of a Common Crossbill we would be happy. Given this expectation I guess we would have to say that the result, getting good views of all three varieties of Crossbill, was a great success. Unfortunately good views do not always lead to good photographs.

Parrot Crossbills - part of a group of six

Male Parrot Crossbill feeding Female

I would have loved to have got closer and to have taken some decent pictures. I don't think that the Crossbills would have minded. I have had them feeding within a few feet of me before and they did not seem bothered. I was more concerned about spooking the rest of the birders that were there observing. On balance though, with the birds at the top of a tall tree and with poor lighting conditions a good picture was unlikely so we settled for just observing.

The Two-barred Crossbill was reported as flying with a flock of Common Crossbills but there were a number of flocks flying in the area so he was difficult to pick up. He is actually in the flock of twelve shown below - the bird on the extreme left. He is more of a raspberry red than the Commons but I really wanted a sideways on shot to show the wing bars. He did oblige but I missed the shot and then had to spend the next hour trying to find him again.

Flock of Common Crossbills with the Two-barred on the extreme left

Eventually he showed up again, very distant but at least I got the shot confirming that he was a Two-barred.

Two-barred Crossbill - smaller than Commons with smaller bill and with the white wing bars showing well

Overall a great days birding. The sun was just coming out as we left and it reminded you of what could have been, but perhaps we will come back once things quieten down a bit.

Common Crossbills - still distant but the sun makes a difference