More on crossbills

Taking advantage of a rare dry morning with good light, I visited some of the Preseli conifer plantations in search of crossbills. Birds were present at Ty Rhyg, Llandilo, Pantmaenog and Coed Glynaeron. The best site was Coed Glynaeron, where at least 20 were present near the main track entrance throughout an hour or more, though birds were frequently leaving and arriving so difficult to estimate numbers. All were common crossbills, with no suspicious calls or chunky heads. They were making lots of noise at times with some birds in song, as well as excitement calls and flight calls, so it was a good exercise in taking on board all the variations. They looked smart too. A goshawk added entertainment value as it was seen off by a brave pair of ravens, and it was nice to hear willow tits calling still at this site. Lots of thrushes of all five common species too.