Red Crossbills in Mantua
Kristin Purdy
I guess the small flock of RED CROSSBILLS I saw this morning in Mantua, Box Elder County, was my consolation prize for not finding my Audubon group on this morning’s designated trip. I first saw the crossbills piling into a small spruce on 50 South near the Mantua Cemetery. I was able to study a nice red male well, filing a mental note that his bill looked bigger than our Type 2 and Type 5 crossbills, and then the birds managed to disappear in the time it took me to exit my truck for a better look at them outside. Then the quest to find them again began. I drove a grid pattern over the tiny hamlet, paying particular attention to mature spruce trees, and I couldn’t find them. Then I returned to the cemetery and parked, leaving my truck in the care of three dozen or so Wild Turkeys, and commenced to walk over the town. I finally got a couple audible flyovers by the time I had worked my way down to the Mount Haven RV park near the reservoir, but no looky-looky.
The birds seemed to be heading west from there and so did I, finally getting a good look at a lovely greenish female on a spruce spire as I cut back to the cemetery through the west side of town. The best look was at a cabin at the corner of 100W. and 100N., likely due to the row of pines, possibly Ponderosas, in the front yard. Six to eight birds were working the cones there, all adults, and I was able to watch them as long as I wanted. The trees also harbored at least four Mountain Chickadees and a few Pine Siskins, and the owner, who is familiar with birds, was pleasant to talk to.
Also in Mantua today were Golden Eagle, what appeared to be the townie Red-tailed Hawk, the afore-mentioned turkeys, Eurasian Collared-doves, Downy Woodpecker, the Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees, at least six Red-breasted Nuthatches, American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins. Getting out and walking around was much more effective since crossbills can be silent except for the crackle of cones when they’re feeding, but they’re fairly chatty when preparing to fly and then flying.
I’m not sure if I should amend my knack of showing up for a bird trip at the rendezvous site five minutes after the group has left or not. I ran into the trip leader just as both of us were leaving town, and the group had not seen the crossbills.
I’ve attached a Google Earth map with locations for my sightings of the crossbills. But really, just park somewhere and walk around town watching the top of every conifer. Mantua has lots of mature evergreens to check.
Kris
