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The Birds Of South Gloucestershire          Common Crossbill - loxia curvirostra

 

Common Crossbill is a small passerine in the finch family 'Fringillidae' and breeds in spruce and pine forests across Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident but will regularly erupt south if its food source fails and will form flocks outside the breeding season often with other forms of Crossbill. Work on vocalisation especially in North America suggest that on that continent there are eight or nine populations of Crossbill, all with different calls and rarely if ever interbreed. These forms also vary in terms of bill size and structure and specialise on the seed cones of different species of conifer. At present few authorities seem inclined to give these forms species status.

 

There have been around 120 Common Crossbill reported from S. Gloucestershire in modern times;

 

2012: (c.12)

One was heard over Aust Cliffs at around 11:00 on January 8th; One was seen flying south at Littleton Warth on January 22nd; A fly over was heard at Oldbury Power Station on January 29th; One, heard only over Oldbury Power Station on February 6th; One, heard only over to the west at Oldbury Power Station on March 7th; Four flew over New Passage at 07:45 on March 24th including one red male; Two flew over Severn Beach on March 30th; One was noted at Oldbury Power Station on April 5th;

 

2011: (34)

One was present at Oldbury Power Station on March 11th; Two flew south west near Springfield Farm, west of Horton on July 13th; One flew over Marshfield Village on July 20th; Six flew over Oldbury Power Station on October 8th; One flew over Northwick Warth and Littleton Warth on October 16th; Six over Lagoon III at OPS on November 5th; Eleven were seen in flight at New Passage on November 7th;  Two were seen over Thornbury and one was reported flying low east and calling over Pilning Wetlands Reserve on November 12th; Two were seen over Kingsgate Park, Yate at 08:25 on November 11th.

 

2010: (c.15)

Five were seen heading north-east over the river at Oldbury Power Station on February 11th; One was seen and heard over Deanery Close, Warmley at 10:15 on March 4th; At Thornbury at least one, probably two were seen and heard at around 11:40 over a private garden on March 27th; One was heard over Pilning on April 20th; Four were reported from New Passage on October 11th with a further individual there on October 12th; One was noted south over Northwick Warth on October 30th.

 

2009: (2)

One was noted early morning on July 25th over Lower Knole Farm, Almondsbury; On October 28th one was heard over Pilning.

 

2003: (5)

Four were seen flying south at New Passage on March 22nd; One was heard at New Passage on April 6th.

 

2002: (7)

Seven were seen flying north-east at New Passage on April 9th.

 

1999: (1)

One was noted at New Passage on October 30th.

 

1997: (2)

One was reported from New Passage sometime in July; One was seen at New Passage sometime in October.

 

1989: (1)

One was seen flying north-north-east at Aust on July 8th.

 

1985: (5)

Five were seen at Inglestone Common on July 5th.

 

1983: (1)

One was reported from Hallen sometime in November.

 

1979: (1)

One was seen at Hallen on December 3rd.

 

1964: (c.15)

Up to fifteen were seen in Larches at Filton from January to early March.

 

1963: (1)

A female was seen at Filton on October 23rd.

 

1953: (17)

One was seen at Wick on September 23rd; Up to sixteen were noted in an apple orchard at Cowhill near Oldbury-on-Severn on various dates from late October to mid November and a party of five were last seen including four red birds on November 18th.

 

1829: (Unknown)

Recorded in the Alveston area sometime around this time. (Knapp - Journal of a Naturalist 1829, pages 182/3)

 

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