RFI - Red Crossbill feeding observations

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Oct 21, 2024, 7:36:57 PM10/21/24

to Maine birds

Hi all,

I’m writing to follow up on my previous requests for observations of eastern red crossbills feeding on conifers.

This is an especially interesting year and time of year for crossbill feeding behavior. Last year there was a massive white pine cone crop in the Northeast that lots of type 12, type 2, type 4, and type 1 crossbills fed on until rather late in the spring. There does not seem to be such a massive cone crop this fall and most of the types 2 and 4 have returned to the western US. As such, I’m interested in seeing what the diets of the type 12 and 1 birds look like in a more “normal” year.

As a reminder, I’m looking for audio recordings of crossbill calls from the eastern US/Great Lakes with information on the conifers the birds are feeding on. The recordings do not have to be made with any advanced equipment – many phone recordings are sufficient. Pictures of the conifer cones are most helpful. However, if you are comfortable with conifer identification, notes on which conifers crossbills are feeding on are also valuable.

Based on contributions from over 100 folks across the eastern US, I’ve accumulated nearly 1,000 (!) records of eastern red crossbills and the conifers they’re feeding on. If you’re interested, I’ve posted a little blurb on my website (https://ckporter.weebly.com/eastern-red-crossbill-ecology.html) illustrating and describing the preliminary data for type 12, the crossbill I have the most data for and am most interested in for this project.

Although there are some intriguing patterns in the data so far, describing the feeding ecology of type 12 and other eastern call types will require much more data across many seasons and years. So, if you have crossbills in your area, please consider uploading recordings and conifer information to eBird. I’ve also created an iNaturalist project (link below) where observations can be uploaded. If you don’t use eBird or iNaturalist, please feel free to send me any observations directly.

Thanks a ton for considering my request. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Also, please pass this onto anyone you think might be interested in participating.

Good birding,

Dr. Cody Porter

Hope College

Holland, MI

iNaturalist project link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/feeding-ecology-of-eastern-red-crossbills