AStevenson
Well-known member
Jane Turner said:Caledonian Crossbill has a good non-contentious ring to it. Also echoes the habitat that needs conserving!
Redpolls are in a similar state of confusing taxonomic flux. Personally I am as clueless when faced with non classic Repolls as I am with Loxias in Scotlnad!
Sadly Caledonian doesn't work either - From my understanding of the various papers in BB and in Scottish Birds(journal of the SOC), and no doubt Griffin will correct me if I'm wrong, but Scotbills occur more often in pine plantations not old forest remants and on the basis of sonogram data occur or have occurred in plantations in the Flow Country! and in Fife, not just Deeside/Speyside.
Parrots are apparently the 'commonest' crossbill at least at times in Caledonian Pine forest, and commons can be anywhere in conifers
The press release doesn't obviously do justice to the large amounts of work that have gone on in the Highlands over the last decade or so, involving following known colour-ringed breeding birds etc. which proved assortive breeding, and charted the 'yes it is not it isn't' twists and turns of the research. Seems that many folk have been unaware of the work or the inherent difficulty of trying to ID many crossbills in the northern half of Scotland.
And Jane, don't start me on redpolls - did you manage a good squint at any of ours whilst you were on North uist recently - many are appalling - there's a PhD and more awaiting anyone who wants to work on them!
Cheers,
Andrew