Operation Crossbill

14th February 2026

We have had a lot of rain recently but none for two days, so time for Operation Crossbill at Mayday Farm. Mayday Farm is an active conifer forest managed by the Forestry Commission and therefore attractive to Crossbills, but also a huge site and therefore not always easy to find Crossbills apart from small flocks flying over. It is therefore necessary to find a focal point for the Crossbills - a puddle.

Crossbills feed almost exclusively on pine cone seeds which are very dry, and therefore they need to drink frequently. After heavy rain there are numerous puddles across the site so the Crossbills could be anywhere, but after two days without rain there are only a few puddles left and the Crossbills know where they are and will fly quite long distances to drink from them.

I headed straight to my favourite area and as a bonus could hear Crossbills chip-chipping high in the tops of the trees when I arrived. Unfortunately this situation is not ideal as the birds are sillouetted against a bright sky and sometimes in shade, the worst combination for photography, but I tried my luck. Most of the birds I managed to photograph were females.

They then decided they were getting thirsty and dropped down to a lower deciduous tree on the other side of the track in much better light, and on this occasion only males. This is part of the usual routine and the tree is used as a look-out point to ensure it is safe to drop down to the puddle.

Once the puddle was deemed to be safe they dropped down in twos and threes, the females coming direct from the conifers. Here are some shots of the females with the first shot acting like a reflection pool.

And then the males.

I included this shot just to prove they were actually drinking rather than just posing.

Well, what a fantastic day, and as Hannibal Smith of the A-Team would say "I love it when a plan comes together"!!!