. Bird lore. Birds; Birds; Ornithology. j^otes from JFtelti anti Ifetutip The American Crossbill! Although the American Crossbill may not be considered rare, it is one of our most remarkable and erratic birds, and there is a great deal of fascination in fol- lowing it to its haunts. To be sure of seeing this strange bird at home, we must go to some of the wildest places, and even then, owing to its erratic and uncertain behavior, must be prepared for many dis- appointments, for the phrases 'rare inter- vals' and 'irregular' occur with annoying frequency in all our records of it which I have be
. Bird lore. Birds; Birds; Ornithology. j^otes from JFtelti anti Ifetutip The American Crossbill! Although the American Crossbill may not be considered rare, it is one of our most remarkable and erratic birds, and there is a great deal of fascination in fol- lowing it to its haunts. To be sure of seeing this strange bird at home, we must go to some of the wildest places, and even then, owing to its erratic and uncertain behavior, must be prepared for many dis- appointments, for the phrases 'rare inter- vals' and 'irregular' occur with annoying frequency in all our records of it which I have been able to examine. There are few places within its range with suitable trees where the bird has not been recorded at one time or another, for it is a great wan- derer in winter. I have known of it nest- ing near Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in Mani- toba, close to where I am writing, in the Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan, and in some parts of British Columbia. I made an expedition to Red Deer, Alberta, some years ago, hearing that Crossbills were frequenting the tree-co ve- ered slopes of the 'divides,' but, although I stayed well into the breeding-season, did not find a nest, and suddenly the birds disappeared. Wherever there are ever- green trees, the birds will appear sooner or later,but that is as definite as it is safe to be. This bird, of course, takes its narhe from the crossing of its two strong, curved mandibles, which, combined with the brilliant scarlet, yellow, or green plumage, gives it a truly remarkable Parrot-like appearance. This resemblance is not con- fined to appearance alone, but extends to habits also, for the Crossbill uses both bill and feet when climbing and is as fully qualified an acrobat as any Parrot I ever saw. I used to think the Chickadee one of our most agile birds, but it must retire to second place when a Crossbill comes along. The remarkable development of the. YOUNG RED CROSSBILLS Photographed by H. and E. Pittman (332). Please note that these imag
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectorn
