Pic of the Day

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus

Hartwick State Park; Grayling, Michigan

     On Monday, March 20^th I saw my first Rose-breasted Grosbeak for the year here in North Alabama.  As I have mentioned in the past I get rose-breasted for about two weeks in the spring and fall.  Of course, spring is when they are in prime plumage and the birds I have been seeing are absolutely perfect.  I shot this male grosbeak on its nesting grounds at Hartwick Pines State Park just outside of Grayling, Michigan.  I hope to shoot a few here before they move on north, and again at Magee Marsh, Ohio in a couple of week.  Hope you get these beautiful birds at your feeders this spring also.

NIkon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/80 second @ f/4

Pic of the Day

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus:  
Hartwick Pines State Park: Grayling, Michigan

     A few days ago Rose-breasted Grosbeaks began pouring through north Alabama.  It takes about two weeks for the birds to pass through during the spring (when this photo was taken), and about two weeks during the fall.  Though the birds are in fall plumage, they are still just as beautiful.  Hopefully I will be able to get some photos before they move on to Central and northern, South America.

     By the way, in a previous post I mentioned that I have never had a Hummingbird Bird at my feeders after October 6^th.  This year, the plethora of hummers I had left by October 5^th.  However, I had half a dozen birds through the 7^th.   Not seeing any hummers on the 8^th and 9^th, I was sure they were all gone.  But, on the 10^th and 11^th I saw a few hummers coming to my feeders.  These were obviously late migrants, and stopped at the feeders to refuel before moving on.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, !/60th sec. @ f4

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

Pic of the Day

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus

Point Pelee, Canada; Shows rose colored breast.

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