RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
Has anyone taken a closer look at the Farnham Heath 2B XB? I was taken in on the whole 2B XB thing and still hope it is. Yesterday however it was seen courtship feeding a Crossbill.
Could this bird be a hybrid? They do hybridise with Crossbill.
Rationale behind this is:
It calls like a 2B XB but a hybrid could do this. I am not the only one to hear it call. Reminds me a lot of a Red-breasted Nuthatch and this is often quoted in Canada as pointer to identification.
2B XB First winter males are generally green.
No tertial spots - moulting is a possibility but most birds have them throughout; that said they can wear out during moulting
Wing bars look good size wise but something is just not right.
BWP suggests that in juvenile Two-barred Crossbills there is a partial moult involving ‘head, body, and lesser as well as some to all median and greater upper wing coverts; occasionally a few tertials’ which usually takes place June-November, depending on time of fledging.
As I said I hope this bird is what he is currently deemed to be but we ought to consider a hybrid Crossbill in my opinion. This is not the first time - trawling through Google I found this:
http://birdingfrontiers.com/2013/12/...ite-wing-bars/
Your thoughts please.
Could this bird be a hybrid? They do hybridise with Crossbill.
Rationale behind this is:
It calls like a 2B XB but a hybrid could do this. I am not the only one to hear it call. Reminds me a lot of a Red-breasted Nuthatch and this is often quoted in Canada as pointer to identification.
2B XB First winter males are generally green.
No tertial spots - moulting is a possibility but most birds have them throughout; that said they can wear out during moulting
Wing bars look good size wise but something is just not right.
BWP suggests that in juvenile Two-barred Crossbills there is a partial moult involving ‘head, body, and lesser as well as some to all median and greater upper wing coverts; occasionally a few tertials’ which usually takes place June-November, depending on time of fledging.
As I said I hope this bird is what he is currently deemed to be but we ought to consider a hybrid Crossbill in my opinion. This is not the first time - trawling through Google I found this:
http://birdingfrontiers.com/2013/12/...ite-wing-bars/
Your thoughts please.
