[Maine-birds] RFI -- red crossbills feeding

Hi all,

I'm writing to follow up on my previous requests for observations of eastern red crossbills feeding on conifers. Given that Christmas Bird Count season is rapidly approaching, I figured now would be a good time to remind folks about the types of observations I'm collating as a part of a multi-year project on crossbill feeding ecology. This is also an interesting time of year from a crossbill foraging perspective, as this is when crossbills begin shifting to feeding on conifers other than those they were feeding on throughout the late summer and early fall.

I'm looking for audio recordings of crossbill calls from the eastern US/Great Lakes with information on the conifers the birds are feeding on. The recordings do not have to be made with any advanced equipment – most phone recordings are sufficient. Pictures of the conifer cones are most helpful. However, if you are comfortable with conifer identification, notes on which conifers birds are feeding on are also valuable.

Based on contributions from several folks across the eastern US, I've accumulated over 600 (!) records of eastern red crossbills and the conifers they're feeding on. If you're interested, I've posted a little blurb on my website (https://ckporter.weebly.com/eastern-red-crossbill-ecology.html) illustrating and describing the preliminary data for type 12, the crossbill I have the most data for and am most interested in for this project.

Although there are some intriguing patterns in the data so far, describing the feeding ecology of type 12 and other eastern call types will require much more data across many seasons and years. So, if you have crossbills in your area, please consider uploading recordings and conifer information to eBird. I've also created an iNaturalist project (link below) where observations can be uploaded. If you don't use eBird or iNaturalist, please feel free to send me any observations directly.

Thanks a ton for considering my request. Please feel free to reach out with any questions! Also, please pass this onto anyone you think might be interested in participating.

Good birding,

Dr. Cody Porter

Ames, Iowa

 

iNaturalist project link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/feeding-ecology-of-eastern-red-crossbills

Project description link: https://ckporter.weebly.com/eastern-red-crossbill-ecology.html

 

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