I'm pretty sure this is the same adult male I last saw at my water bath two weeks ago.  Just like last time, an adult male WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL came into my yard with a large flock of House finches and drank from the small water bath.  He also picked at bark on a snag in the yard, and briefly worked on a buckeye tree bud.  
   
  Last time, I did not get pictures, but this time I did.  They are lousy but good enough for ID incase the records cmte would like to see.  When I reported this bird to Cornell's eBird two weeks ago, a regional reviewer contacted me and relayed that this species hasn't been seen in Maryland in nearly a decade!
   
  My house is just west of Colesville Road and Sligo Creek Pkwy.  For those wanting to try for the bird, there are walking trails along the Pkwy and the finch flock seems to hang around the area, especially working the tulip poplars.  The crossbill is not reliable at my house so it doesn't make sense to try for it here.  If it does start coming to thistle, I'll let you know.
   
  Regards,
  Noah Kahn
  Silver Spring, MD


Noah Kahn

"There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot...like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher 'standard of living' is worth its cost in things natural, wild, and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television, and the chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech." 
Aldo Leopold (who else?)
       
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