Hi All,

Glad people are still seeing the white-winged crossbill.  The bird is apparently still coming daily to the water dish on my backyard wooden porch.  Lately, I have been reading that folks are only seeing the bird for 2 seconds at a time.  To maximize your chance at a decent look, I would advise staking out the water bath anytime from 10am-3pm, which is the only window that I'm aware people, or I, have actually seen him.  When he comes, I've seen him spend up to 5 minutes in the area, preening or working on buds.  When he drinks, it's never for more than 30 seconds.  Unfortunately, it shuns the thistle socks I have out for other finches. 

Best viewing is from Sligo Creek Pkwy, just west of Colesville Rd. looking up the hill at my wooden deck...feeders are plainly visible, water bath is a flat black tray that may not be obvious from below but it's secured to the deck railing.  Good luck!

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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