[wisb] FBMP Crossbills and their food crop and Dicksissles: Ozaukee Co.
- From: betsyacorn@xxxxxxx
- To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:05:44 -0400 (EDT)
Had nice long looks at these voracious eaters today at Forest Beach, tho it
spurs many questions. They seemed to be foraging in Balsam Fir, which is a very
unusual species here in SE WI, tho far more common up north. I was stunned at
the cone crop which is truly mast-like this year, and wonder if it is due to
drought-induced stress as well as mild winter temps. I assume that the balsam
were planted here during the years this property was a golf course, and am
surprised at how well the dozen or so of them are doing in this open location
on the western part of the preserve. With close-up views of the cone
consumption, it seemed that the cones are viably full of seed, with many still
maturing.
So, could one surmise that these trees were once visited in winter by one of
the adult crossbills who kept the gps location stored in his or her very clever
bird-brain for a time when the kids needed to eat?? It is a large flock and
must have a brilliant scout to have located what I imagine to be a somewhat
isolated crop of balsam fir cones this far south.
Does anyone imagine that they overwintered this far south, bred, and raised
young in this lower latitude?
Having (very regrettably) not gotten up north this summer, I wonder of the cone
crop production in balsam fir and the various northern spruces with small cones
there that crossbills favor. I believe the north had far more normalized
rainfall than we, though I don't know if the northern WI winter was as mild as
ours down here. Any northerners want to address this???
Also, I was struck by how many dicksissle inhabit FBMP this year. Numerous - I
stopped conservatively counting at 15 - adults and juveniles flew around me as
I walked for an hour or more through this remarkable preserve. At one point,
and in one dead deciduous tree west of the fir, I had six different species:
Bluebird, Crossbill, Cedar Waxwing, Goldfinch, Field Sparrow and Dicksissle.
They were making a racket because four Kestrel had just flown over and spooked
the Red Tail. Hats off to you, Noel Cutright and colleagues for spearheading
the preservation and restoration of this remarkable habitat.
Betsy Abert
So. Milwaukee, but reporting from the Land of Oz.
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