As we move closer to winter, many of our birds in the park have left but there are a few hardy species that call Murphys Point home for the winter. For this bird of the month, we will be talking about Red Crossbills, a strange finch with an exciting story this year. Generally, crossbills would be a rare find in this area, but since early August they have been a daily sight. This is because the conifers they feed on produce seeds unpredictably and this year have produced what is called a mast crop – an exceptional crop of cones due to the weather pattern. The invasion of Red Crossbills this year is unprecedented, and they are here feeding mostly on this mast crop of Eastern White Pine cones. If you see this super cool bird, look for their crossed bill they use to pry cone scales apart to get to the seeds! Crossbills are our only birds that will nest and raise young any month of the year, as long as there are lots of cones!!!