On April 23 of last year, I looked out my window and saw two Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks on the backyard feeder. Never having seen one here before (or anywhere else for that matter), they were new life birds for me. One was a mature male with vibrant, well defined colors: black and white with a red triangle on the breast. The other one had less distinct markings with much more streaking. I took it to be an immature male. They were a little large for the feeder but managed to balance well enough. They seemed somewhat finch-like in their behavior, remaining on the feeder while eating. They had a curious habit of grabbing a mouthful of seed from the feeder, then moving their heads back and forth looking for danger while gobbling down the seeds. According to both Peterson and Sibley, Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks are migratory here. They were probably heading north to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, or even Canada, after wintering in Mexico. I just managed to get a picture of the mature male.
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. Copyright (c) 2017 Robert D. Vickers, Jr.
