Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus
Point Pelee, Canada; Shows rose colored breast.
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| Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus: Hartwick Pines State Park; Grayling, Michigan |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus – Hartwick Pines State
Park; Grayling, Michigan: The
rose-breasted grosbeak is a common visitor to my bird feeder for about two
weeks in April, and for two weeks that span late September and early October
during the fall.
I am always excited when the grosbeaks arrive; they bring brilliant
contrast and color to my feeders with their dapper plumage. Back in my bird-banding days I would
often catch the hefty birds in my mist nets. Grosbeaks have strong beaks that are ideally suited for
cracking hard seed shells, as well as drawing blood from a bird-bander’s
finger.
When I would find a rose-breasted grosbeak in my mist net, I
would take a small stick, about two-inches long, and hold it in front of the
grosbeaks, beak. The grosbeak
would immediately reach out and bit the stick, latch onto it and not let
go. I could then retrieve the bird
from the mist net, and band it without the bird biting me;……..those were the
days!
Grosbeaks that I see at my feeders in April are stopping to refuel. They are migrating, heading north to
breeding grounds in our northern states and Canada. This past June, I was in Michigan where rose-breasted
grosbeak nest. While on the
Kirtland’s warbler tour I ask the guide about good birding locations in the
Grayling area. She had lots of
locations to tell me about, but the one that sounded the most interesting was
Hartwick Pines State Park.
Hartwick Pines is the largest state park in Michigan and has a large
variety of birds. She told me I
could get good photographs of rose-breasted grosbeak there. That was all it took. I did not have a wide variety of
rose-breasted grosbeak images in my files, so I was off to Hartwick Pines.
When I arrived, it
was more that I could have imagined, both rose-breasted and evening grosbeaks
were flying to and from the feeders, landing on branches within easy
photographic range. Other birds
taking advantage of the easy pickings at the feeders were hairy woodpeckers,
scarlet tanagers, blue jays, and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Hartwick Pines is a great location to
see these two grosbeak species and a priority stop if you plan on visiting the
Grayling area. I’ll post an
evening grosbeak soon.
Top Image: Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/250 second @ f9, Tripod
Bottom Image: Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/60 second @ f 4, Tripod
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