Date: 12/7/12 2:44 pm
From: Jim Wilkinson <lakekoshare...>
Subject: [MDBirding] White-winged Crossbills at Fort Ritchie, Washington County


Today (12/7) around 1 PM, there were 11 White-winged Crossbills feeding on Norway Spruce cones at the former Fort Ritchie in northeastern Washington County. I saw 6 males and 5 females and there were likely a few more hidden in the branches. All the crossbills were in a single tree that was part of a row of planted spruce next to a dock on Lake Wastler. This is the smaller of the two lakes at the site; the larger is Lake Royer. The closest street intersection is Redman Road and Buena Vista Avenue. A large flock of dabbling ducks was on the lake - mostly Mallards but there were also 6 Gadwall and a pair of Green-winged Teal. Two Red-breasted Nuthatches were also feeding in the evergreens near the crossbills.

Jim Wilkinson
Columbia, MD

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