Sorry for the late post, but I was camping with my sons the past two days in Washington County along the C & O Canal.  As we were driving to the canal yesterday morning, I noticed an extensive row of Norway Spruce along the east side of MD 65, just south of Roxbury Road (near Lappans).  The group of trees was one of the more extensive stands that I've stumbled across, and I felt like it looked like a good location for crossbills or other winter finches.  The trees extend along the road for at least 1/2 mile south of Roxbury Road.

When I got the chance in the afternoon yesterday, I went back to the row of spruce.  I parked on Roxbury and began walking south along the edge of the pines, watching and listening for birds.  It was very active with many Grackles, American Robins, Juncos, American Goldfinch, and House Finch.  However, when I reached the southern end of the spruce (which are also interspersed with hemlocks), I began hearing crossbill call notes.  The first bird I got on was a Pine Siskin, which perched out in the open for me.  About 15 White-winged Crossbills were feeding in the tops of the spruce and hemlock.  I got good looks at a male White-winged Crossbill.  When the birds flushed, calling as they went, I counted 15 White-winged Crossbills.

But the highlight was a female Red Crossbill in the group.  It perched in the open for a minute or two atop one of the spruce, and I was able to note the subtle differences from the female White-winged Crossbills that I've seen this winter.  The bird had an olive cast to the head, upper back, and breast, and lacked the streaking that the female White-wings showed.  It was distinctly more olive-green in color than the female White-winged Crossbills. It was a fairly uniform olive color, lacking any of the distinctive streaking that the female White-wings show.  The wing was dark, but lacked the distinctive wingbar.  The bird's bill also appeared slightly larger, although this was extremely difficult to judge.  It was really the color and the lack of streaking that drew my attention to the bird.

After about 10 minutes, all of the crossbills flew off to the south.  I tried to relocate them briefly further along the row of trees, without success.

Other birds seen over the weekend included Common Mergansers, Wood Ducks, Mallards, Canada Geese, Phoebe, Eastern Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a Belted Kingfisher along the canal, and a flyover Bald Eagle.  At night, we heard a Barred Owl call from along the river and a Great Horned Owl call from a more inland location.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS