Hi all,
I’m writing to follow up on my previous requests for observations of
eastern red crossbills feeding on conifers. Late summer-early fall is a
great time to look for crossbills, as conifer cone crops are mature and
food availability for crossbills is at an all time high.
As a reminder, I’m looking for 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 – phone recordings are often sufficient. Pictures of the conifer
cones the birds are feeding on 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 nearly 1,000 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://www.ckporterlab.com/community-science) 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
Holland, MI
*iNaturalist project link: *
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/feeding-ecology-of-eastern-red-crossbills
Project description link: https://www.ckporterlab.com/community-science