Dipping

Dip - 1) v. To travel to attempt to see a previously reported rare bird and fail to see it. 2) n. The actual bird that one has missed. Related forms: Dipped, verb.

After missing out on the Thick-billed Murre Patty got an email about some Red Crossbills in Double Trouble State Park. As it was on the way home ... 

Crossbills eat the seeds out of pinecones. The crossbill is an adaptation to pry the seeds from the cone.

Patty, who has an excellent sense of direction, navigated us to an entrance to Double Trouble that was as far as possible from where the birds were reported (there was no parking there anyways!). 

This is what it looked like when we started walking into the park. Notice anything?

It is pine trees all the way down the road. 

Pine trees. Nothing but pine trees.

And each and every one of those trees is full of pine cones. But nary a Crossbill in any of them.

It was a very dippy day.