[wisb] Re: FBMP Crossbills and their food crop and Dicksissles: Ozaukee Co.
- From: Thomas Schaefer <schaefertrees@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: betsyacorn@xxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:30:24 -0500
Betsy- birds were foraging in White/Black Hill's Spruce and Norway Spruce-
don't think there are any Balsams on the property. I was surprised to see them
using the smaller-coned spruces as I figured RECRs favored larger coned species
of pine and spruce. Perhaps they bred SOUTH of here and are now returning
north, as Purple finches and Pine Siskins seem to do.
Tom Schaefer
Hartford
Washington County
On Aug 12, 2012, at 7:05 PM, betsyacorn@xxxxxxx wrote:
> 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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