Despite the cold and the snow the Common Crossbill has started wooing. In South Iceland they start breeding in February and the chicks hatch in March.
The Common Crossbills are nothing less than spectacular when they sit in the top of a spruce or pine tree . Their colours match beautifully with the green of the treees, the snow and the blue sky.
The photo of this pair was taken February 2, in Grímsnes, South Iceland.
In the lack of daylight in the last few weeks photographing birds in the garden has been difficult. Now the days are getting longer and it’s easier to get good photoes. Today I managed to take two rather nice photoes, if I say so myself, of a Common Crossbill and a Redpoll.
The birdlife in the garden has been very lively today.
This is a list of today’s birds:
For further information on the garden birds:
http://ornosk.com/weekly-bird-report/
We found this Common Crossbill, or Red Crossbill as they are called in USA, in the top a Pine tree, silhouetted against a beautifully bright blue sky. There is nothing common about its bright orange colour but the Crossbill comes in colours ranging from yellow to red.
The Crossbill’s favourite food is seeds from Spruce and Pine cones. In the latter part of the last century Spruce and Pine trees have been planted and are now in full growth in many places throughout the country.
It’s 13 days to Christmas and this Common Crossbill in its yellow colours is so beautiful in the snow. The Common Crossbill is well adapted to the cold winter and you can almost say that it is nesting time all year round for them. This is probably a female bird rather than a yellow male. Males are more often in orange-red colours.
Common Crossbills are new breeding birds in Iceland. New spruce and pine forests are growing fast in many places in Iceland and are now big enough to be a habitat for some new settlers like the Crossbills.
They are regular birds in my garden and I feed them on sunflower seeds. This pair was in a group of seven Crossbills coming to the feeding place this beautiful Sunday morning.
– This video is taken today and there is a lot of traffic to and from the feeding tray.