One more for 2014- White-winged Crossbill, Waterloo

I got a Wellington County bird alert in my inbox this morning about a White-winged Crossbill in Waterloo.  When I got into work this morning I told my friend Pat about it and at lunch he headed out to see if he could find it.  Shortly after he texted me to let me know he was looking at it near someones backyard feeder.  I quickly jumped in my car and when I got there it returned to some nearby shrubbery to perch.  This will be the last new bird species that I will see in 2014, #251!

This is a beautiful species of winter finch that shows up in our region irregularly during the winter.  It has a really neat "crossed" bill that helps it pry open conifer cones such as hemlock and spruce.  This bird was hanging around with some House Finches at this feeder.

The bird finally returned to the feeder and I got a few closer photos.

I quickly stopped at Columbia Lake but only had time to quickly look at the gulls out on the ice before the bitter wind forced me back to the car.  I did see a single Glaucous Gull among a Great Black-backed Gull, numerous Herring Gulls and a couple Ring-billed Gulls.  Can you spot the white Glaucous Gull in the photo below?  

Glaucous Gull- middle top