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Tricky trio - Arctic Warbler Pine Grosbeak Two Barred Crossbill (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter michaeln
- Start date
Several years ago, I visited Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada at the end of May. Pine Grosbeak came to the side of the paved road in the park, presumably to collect grit. Both that area and Okenagan Valley to the east of there gave some good birds.
Niels
Niels
I've spent many weeks in Scandinavia, 4 two week trips. Pine Grosbeak, I saw in May at the well known cafe where they visit the feeders (Nelgan Tuulen Tupa at Kaamanen ). I also found one in Sweden during the same trip which I was pleased with. The other two I have never seen. Probably resigned to twitching them in the UK now. Arctic Warbler has known sites, but they arrive fairly late in the year when the other two are perhaps harder to find.
Two-barred Crossbill seem to be extremely difficult
Two-barred Crossbill seem to be extremely difficult
My Two-barred Crossbill was a twitch to a bird appearing in Denmark during an eruption.
Niels
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
To get Two-barred Crossbill reliably, you need to head to where Siberian Larch is native (it is primarily a larch-feeding crossbill); that means east of about 40°E longitude and north of about 56°N latitude in Russia - that's quite a long way northeast of Moscow. Anywhere west / southwest of there, it is just a vagrant.
Warixenjalka
Birdwitcher
It is Neljän tuulen tupa. (Cottage of Four winds in English.) Pine Grosbeak is easiest to see in winter. Two-barred Crossbill at any time in Finland. It depends just luck.
Not really, it is a regular annual breeder in Finland, not a vagrant. Undergoes variation year to year, but in better years the population can be up to 20000 pairs. Fairly easy to see in Finland during these years.
http://atlas3.lintuatlas.fi/results/species/Two-barred Crossbill
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
Checked in a couple of books, regular annual breeding (as opposed to occasional irruptions) seems to be a fairly new range extension, it isn't mapped breeding there in older books. Breeding in recently grown larch plantations, perhaps?
Don't know. Could be an error in the older books that you checked? Finnish atlas from the 1970s-1980s shows them as widespread, with the caveat of large annual fluctuations.
Either way, today it is a reasonably common species in northern Finland some years, hard to find others. To answer the original post, northern Finland should provide a reasonable chance for all three of the desired species.
Quite unusual for someone to come away with all three in one trip..
but it can be done. I found one trip report..
https://www.naturalist.co.uk/reports2004/lapland.php
but it can be done. I found one trip report..
https://www.naturalist.co.uk/reports2004/lapland.php
Thanks to everyone for replying. Sounds like Northern Finland gives you a good chance.
Arctic Warbler from the 2nd week in June or is it safer to wait till the 3rd?
Do the Grosbeaks still visit the feeders at this time of year?
Two Barred Crossbill - Just need lots of luck. Are there local guides/contacts in the area that could help?
Thanks again
-Michael
Arctic Warbler from the 2nd week in June or is it safer to wait till the 3rd?
Do the Grosbeaks still visit the feeders at this time of year?
Two Barred Crossbill - Just need lots of luck. Are there local guides/contacts in the area that could help?
Thanks again
-Michael
