Continental Parrot Crossbills In Herts!

Parrot crossbills have been featuring on Twitter recently and birders have been travelling to capture them. Yesterday the birds were seen in Broxbourne woods, which are not far from me. It was the first sighting in Hertfordshire in recordable birding history. A mate told me about them so I decided to investigate.

As I walked down the track into the woods I met a man carrying a 'scope who said that the birds were showing well. I soon spotted a gaggle of birders through the trees but unfortunately by the time I was in position they had flown. A pair of squirrels were frolicking in the top of some distant pines and many members of the birding throng repeatedly mistook their movement for our quarry. One of them was an international birding tour guide who was talking about what he does in the tropics. Another, with a huge lens, had come from Suffolk. Others were after 'lifers' or list subjects. I know that Herts birders have recently gone to Suffolk to see these birds.

I thought about leaving but decided to think positive and shortly after that someone located a female right on top of a pine in the distance. The unusual bill can just be seen in my montage. I got images of a male that were even worse but it was wonderful to see these rare, unusual and brightly coloured birds. The males are a bright reddish-orange. Parrot crossbills are from the finch family and their bills are adapted for removing seeds from pine cones. Evidently the weather where they come from, Russia and north west Europe, has been harsh and food is short there.

Just before I left a man turned up with beautiful, nine-month-old, Great Dane Isla. I enjoyed lots of doggie kisses. :)

Today's poem is Sometimes by Sheenagh Pugh. http://poetry-fromthehart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/sometimes-sheenagh-pugh.html

Written about a sportsman who had a drug problem hoping that he would get over it. "May it happen for you."