Hi all,


   On my way to meet with Paul Noell and John Landers this morning for our walk at the reservoir. I was driving north on Cotter Rd near #3153 and look up to see a large chunky finch-like bird with heavy bill on top of pine tree with long narrow pine cone crops. I looked up and see it has black wing with 2 white wing bars and rosy/pink overall w/ grayish/white flanks below and was ready to look at the bill when it flew off somewhere to the SW.  I was too slow to get better look at large bill when I was too busy to get details on overall body, wing bars, and should've look at the bill first to see if it's a crossbill with a cross over at the tip.   Time was 827am on Cotter Rd near #3153 before going to Clipper Mill Rd.  There are dozens of pine trees there and only three has long narrow cone crop and the rest are bare.

  I hope I'm right on the id's.  None of our local finches have wingbars and it's only match the crossbill.  None of the crossbills we had at several locations in MD this past couple months ever stay a bit longer for all to enjoy like the one we saw the the feeders in Montgomery Co last year.  Pennsylvania has tons of crossbills all over the mountains range and few on east side.


   Kevin Graff
   Jarrettsville, MD & West O.C., MD