Crossbill Success

With a return visit to Rivercatcher I was treated to some more prolonged observations on the forest Crossbills.
The bird books will tell you that the breeding male Crossbills are red and the pair nest in January and February. So in late March you might expect to see a pair accompanied by fledged young. This is exactly what I was treated to but the male orange not red! To confuse matters even further I watched a female Crossbill collecting nesting material accompanied by a male that was yellow/green. And yes it was a male as I witnessed them copulating!! So what were they doing nest-building in late March – this should have happened in January!
Clearly there is a lot to clarify so another visit to Rivercatcher will be required! www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife