Just had a rose-breasted hanging out on the window sill right next to my chair. He just kept looking in the window for almost 5 minutes (I suspect he saw his reflection)
Hi Diane. Loved this post. When I was a child in rural Alberta Canada, my mother, a bird lover (as am I, the apple did not fall far!), would put out feed and flocks of grosbeaks would visit, and we never got over the awe of their cheerful plumage. In our neck of the woods it was the Evening Grosbeak species that came to visit. We have recently moved to the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island, and the myriad species of birds here is awe inducing. Thank you again, from a fellow bird lover (wannabe ornithologist). Loved the photos. I have never seen a rose-breasted grosbeak IRL. I enjoyed these fellows vicariously.
The rose-breasted grossbeak does sound more like a robin than I ever realized. Thank you for the wonderful comparison! Your photos are just gorgeous!
The grossbeaks came earlier to the feeder, but lately I have not seen them...perhaps they are busy feeding and caring for their young? Is there just one batch of young'uns a year? Thank you Diane, for your delightful posts!
Looks like they second brood "infrequently," in Canada. Life may be different in Iowa.
From Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "Second Brood Per Season ~
Pairs generally single-brooded (Watts 1935, Bent 1968b), although second broods suspected to occur infrequently in Ontario (Langley 1976, Peck and James 1998); confirmed in semicaptivity (Ivor 1944).."
I'll have to look up whether they repeat nest. I'll try to remember to do that. Some birds make a second nest only if the first one fails. The bluebirds in my garden make three nests every summer, even if they all succeed
What fun to hear YOUR Grosbeak! OURS are...cough...even "prettier," I hafta say (will find/send photos) but YOURS are gorgeous, of course. And their SONGS!! Wow! How we love our Bird Friend, huh. OURS are very busy at our feeders, with all the fresh n new babies now learning to fly and feed themselves. The Titmouse Mom and Dad worked SO hard for weeks to get their fledglings ready to Fly! And such a lot of twittering and talking! Ok, back to looking for our California Grosbeak photos. Thanks, as always, Diane, for bringing us closer to Mom (Nature)!
Yes, and Susan, I knew Black-headed Grosbeaks long before I knew Rose-breasted. But the first Rose one I ever saw was in my garden in the mountains above Santa Barbara. It was a gorgeous male, perched on the fence railing right next to the Black-headed guy who I was good friends with. Of course, Rose is very rare in California, or at least it was then, and I thought I might just pass out from sheer surprise.
John A. Wheeler, the physicist! An amazing genius and highly original thinker. I wrote at length elsewhere in substack back in February of 2023 about his one-electron universe concept- an idea so stunning it almost makes ones mind stop in intellectual shock!
I wondered if that was who you had in mind. That one-electron idea really is a mind blower, as it re-organizes in a person's mind just what you're feel-thinking the stuff of the universe actually is. Those tiny rocks orbiting around other tiny rocks, not so much.
Just had a rose-breasted hanging out on the window sill right next to my chair. He just kept looking in the window for almost 5 minutes (I suspect he saw his reflection)
He may well have been wondering who that other male was in his territory. Or maybe he was just chilling. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Diane. Loved this post. When I was a child in rural Alberta Canada, my mother, a bird lover (as am I, the apple did not fall far!), would put out feed and flocks of grosbeaks would visit, and we never got over the awe of their cheerful plumage. In our neck of the woods it was the Evening Grosbeak species that came to visit. We have recently moved to the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island, and the myriad species of birds here is awe inducing. Thank you again, from a fellow bird lover (wannabe ornithologist). Loved the photos. I have never seen a rose-breasted grosbeak IRL. I enjoyed these fellows vicariously.
Thanks for your nice story!
Interestingly, here Evening Grosbeaks are the rare ones. I saw them in my Iowa backyard 40 years ago but haven't seen them here since.
The rose-breasted grossbeak does sound more like a robin than I ever realized. Thank you for the wonderful comparison! Your photos are just gorgeous!
The grossbeaks came earlier to the feeder, but lately I have not seen them...perhaps they are busy feeding and caring for their young? Is there just one batch of young'uns a year? Thank you Diane, for your delightful posts!
Looks like they second brood "infrequently," in Canada. Life may be different in Iowa.
From Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "Second Brood Per Season ~
Pairs generally single-brooded (Watts 1935, Bent 1968b), although second broods suspected to occur infrequently in Ontario (Langley 1976, Peck and James 1998); confirmed in semicaptivity (Ivor 1944).."
Thank you for checking...that is interesting. Wonder if they are only here for just just the breeding season? I don't recall how late I've seen them.
I'll have to look up whether they repeat nest. I'll try to remember to do that. Some birds make a second nest only if the first one fails. The bluebirds in my garden make three nests every summer, even if they all succeed
Thanks you for the concert --and the libretto!
Ah, Patty, you have written like a true librettist! And thank you kindly!
So great. Your photos are amazing!
Thank you Jane. You made me smile. Which is nice, as I'm working on bookkeeping this hot afternoon.
What fun to hear YOUR Grosbeak! OURS are...cough...even "prettier," I hafta say (will find/send photos) but YOURS are gorgeous, of course. And their SONGS!! Wow! How we love our Bird Friend, huh. OURS are very busy at our feeders, with all the fresh n new babies now learning to fly and feed themselves. The Titmouse Mom and Dad worked SO hard for weeks to get their fledglings ready to Fly! And such a lot of twittering and talking! Ok, back to looking for our California Grosbeak photos. Thanks, as always, Diane, for bringing us closer to Mom (Nature)!
Yes, and Susan, I knew Black-headed Grosbeaks long before I knew Rose-breasted. But the first Rose one I ever saw was in my garden in the mountains above Santa Barbara. It was a gorgeous male, perched on the fence railing right next to the Black-headed guy who I was good friends with. Of course, Rose is very rare in California, or at least it was then, and I thought I might just pass out from sheer surprise.
New Subscriber here! I feel right at home with wonderful people- both reader-people and bird-people!
Welcome aboard Michael. By the way, which Wheeler is one of your exemplars?
John A. Wheeler, the physicist! An amazing genius and highly original thinker. I wrote at length elsewhere in substack back in February of 2023 about his one-electron universe concept- an idea so stunning it almost makes ones mind stop in intellectual shock!
https://runtothehorizn.substack.com/p/the-one-electron-universe
I wondered if that was who you had in mind. That one-electron idea really is a mind blower, as it re-organizes in a person's mind just what you're feel-thinking the stuff of the universe actually is. Those tiny rocks orbiting around other tiny rocks, not so much.
Only you have even heard of him! Congratulations!
I enjoy your descriptions as much as I admire your photos, Diane. Thank you for sharing!
That is quite a compliment coming from a writer such as you! Thank you so much.
beautiful bird, beautiful song!
Thanks Larry.