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Record-setting bird: A rare White-winged Crossbill perches on the branch of a tree in Westchester Township, one of a flock of at least 18 located on Nov. 24 by Valparaiso birder John Kendall in a large spruce grove in Furnessville. White-winged Crossbills tend not to venture this far south unless—as is the case this year—the Canadian crop of spruce seeds, their main food source, is a poor one. As it happens, Kendall set a new Indiana Big Year record with the White-winged Crossbill, his 309th bird located and identified in the state this year. To put that achievement in context, the Indiana Audubon Society’s Field Checklist of Indiana Birds only totals 316 species, limited to those birds which have occurred in the state at least seven times in the last 20 years.                          (Tribune photos by Kevin Nevers)

Posted 12/3/2008