This week, I’d like to focus on a species observed by our other Christmas Bird Count group, a bird who always looks like it just lost a bar fight: the Red Crossbill.
This year we prepared for the first-ever Christmas Bird Count (CBC) at Fair Meadows Sanctuary, after we recently learned that we were not part of any of the official National Audubon CBC circles.
From mugs to sweaters and holiday cards, the striking red of the male Northern Cardinal can be spotted more times in my grandma’s living room than at my bird feeders.
We were looking for a bird who may usually only be seen in Wisconsin in the winter, and who exhibits brutal behaviors for a small songbird. Soon one was spotted perching atop a tangle of shrubbery—the Northern Shrike.
Each December, birders come together for the longest-running citizen science project in the US: the Christmas Bird Count. In the Madison-area, the count is coordinated by our organization, and put on with help from around 200 volunteers each year.