FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Crossbills! in Rockingham County

["Clair Mellinger" <mellinac@xxxxxxx>]

Yesterday I showed the Ornithology class our nest/egg collection 
in the museum and particularly pointed out that the Red Crossbill 
nest was the first (only?) documented crossbill nest in Virginia.  
Today one of those students, Matthew Gingerich, reported to me 
that he found a pair of Red Crossbills building a nest along the 
Reddish Knob road.  It appears to me from his directions that it 
might be very near where the first nest was found in May 1980.  I 
have not been up there yet but the directions Matt gave me follow.  
The nest is on the right (north) side of the road to Reddish Knob 
(Route 924) as you head up the road (west) toward Reddish Knob. 
 He located it as 4.5 miles beyond (west) of the intersection with 
Tilghman Road.   On the left side of the road he erected a small 
pile of stones (with a blue bottle nearby) to mark the spot. The nest 
is in a pine tree not far up the bank on the right side of the road.  
He noted that there is a good pull-off for parking just beyond the 
nest site.

Matt also found a (late?) Red-breasted Nuthatch near the nest.  

Clair Mellinger

Biology Department
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg VA  22802
(540) 432-4409  Fax: (540) 432-4488
mellinac@xxxxxxx
You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email 
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.