Crossbills @ Kielder

Wildlife Watch: crossbills numbers soaring @ Kielder  

According to the Forestry Commission nature lovers are flocking to Kielder Water & Forest Park in Northumberland to see a spectacle of nature.

Thousands of crossbills have appeared in the 155,000 acre Northumberland wilderness, apparently attracted by the abundance of seed offered by an excellent cone crop this year.

Martin Davison, Forestry Commission ornithologist who has worked in Kielder for over 30 years monitoring and protecting bird life, said: "Some years the bird fails to show up at all, so getting such large numbers is something special. It all depends on how good the cone crop is and this year it is very good indeed. It's impossible to say how many have arrived, but a guess could put it as high as 10,000 pairs. That could be the biggest breeding population in the country at the moment.”

Crossbills have chicks in January and February, which take to the wing in March, by the of May they begin to leave. Look out for the bird hanging upside down like a parrot stripping seed from cones.

To find out more go to www.visitkielder.com/ or call 01434 220242.