Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Pic of the Day


     Evening Grosbeak, Coccothraushes vespertinus – Hartwick Pines State Park; Grayling, Michigan:  It was March, 1980 when I saw my first evening grosbeaks.  A flock of about a dozen birds had landed in a field next to my parent’s home in North Alabama.  A rare visitors to North Alabama in winter and the early spring, the grosbeaks are usually driven south by severe weather.   I have only had two other sighting in North Alabama since then, and both have been at my bird feeders in January and February. 
     Evening Grosbeaks breed in coniferous and mixed forest across Canada, western mountains of the United States and Mexico.  I found this evening grosbeak at Hartwick Pines State Park just north of Grayling, Michigan.  It was one of a dozen or more bird visiting the nature centers feeders.  Hartwick Pines is perhaps the best place to reliably see evening grosbeaks, and in my opinion, the best place to photograph them!

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/100sec. @ f4.5

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