Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Several "gip, gip" calls - faint at first but growing louder - alerted me to the approach of crossbills; two went flying over, but a markedly grey female landed on a nearby spruce and proceeded to preen, not taking much notice of me.
I was in Longart Forest, hoping for crested tit. At one point a hardish trill came from deep in the conifers - but crossbills were also singing and I think they sometimes produce a trill. A band of larch along the edge of the track made it difficult to see into the depths - and the next time the call came it was further off.
Eventually I turned back, and lingered in a spot where huge old birch trees were draped in grey-green lichen; from later researches, I think it's a beard lichen - probably an Usnea species. Down the slope, small brown birds were emerging from the dead bracken and flying a few feet, going down again into the confused jumble of mossy rocks, dead branches, and sodden bracken, then repeating the process. They made me think of little brown mice, only these had wings! The birds seemed to be in groups but clearly belonged to one big, restless flock - and at last some came out onto the track ahead, where I could see that they were redpolls.
I tried not to move but the redpolls wouldn't settle anywhere for long. Next moment they'd flown up into the trees, where they were difficult to see; but soon they were swooping down yet again.
As I walked slowly on the flock streamed up and away from me, before going down again onto the ground where they disappeared in the bracken or explored fallen mossy trunks. It was impossible to count them but I think there must have been at least a hundred birds.
