About 9:40 this morning we had a tight flock of about 20 White-winged
Crossbills flying low and rapidly southwest over Brookbanks Ravine in
Toronto. They were flying low and fast going southwest giving dry
rapid chiff chiff calls. This crossbill and Pine Siskins have been
wandering widely for months in Ontario, Quebec looking for large cone
crops, particularly on white spruce. Recent movements and a generally
poor conifer cone crop (except on pines) across the north mean that
White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins are irrupting south after
not finding areas of abundant cone crops to spend the winter.
Directions: Our birds are long gone. We suggest listening and looking
in areas with white spruce stands.
Ron Pittaway and Jean Iron
Toronto ON
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