rose-breasted grosbeak

This is one of our squirrel proof feeders. They work well.

The rose-breasted grosbeaks have arrived and I couldn't resist taking a photo of this male with suet in his beak.

..but an unusual species for me for this time of year. Usually only a springtime & summer visitor. I was still delighted to see him though.

I think this is the female. This squirrel proof feeder has served us well. That perch slides down with the squirrels weight covering the seed opening with an ornamental piece of metal.

This is the male of course, and waiting for a shot at the feeder.

His next move was to get as close to the sunflowers as he could, but he is to large to fit through the cage.

Cardinal poitrine rose

Cardinal poitrine rose Female standing on a feeder at a friend's place.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) Female, species sexually dimorphic. South Padre Island Convention Center, South Padre Island, Cameron County, Texas, USA. Barrier Island, small coastal woodland adjacent to Laguna Madre at ca. 2 m (6.6 ft) elevation.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) Male, species sexually dimorphic. South Padre Island Convention Center, South Padre Island, Cameron County, Texas, USA. Barrier Island, small coastal woodland adjacent to Laguna Madre at ca. 2 m (6.6 ft) elevation.

This is the male, and I bet you had already guessed that. :) Funny thing, I rarely get a shot or even see the female.

This is my squirrel proof feeder. I tried to get this guy on a tree, but the one I finally did get is a little to distant.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) First year male, species sexually dimorphic. Photographed in my backyard, Bryan, Brazos County, Texas, USA. Open manicured area with Post Oaks (Quercus stellata) at ca. 101 m (330 ft) elevation.

This is the male changing into its nonbreeding outfit.

I believe this is a first winter male. Quite a difference from the adult breeding male.

Haven't seen one of these guys in a few years

Late yesterday afternoon, I saw a flash of black and white and orange in a tree over the feeders, and thought the Baltimore Oriole had returned. But when it dropped down to the table, it turned out to be this Rose Breasted Grosbeak! First one ever for me! The light was very poor so the photo...

This is the mate of the male I uploaded yesterday. They were taken in the yard, which most folks would call a forest.

This of course is the male, tomorrow I'll post the female.

Little story here... This is the first time I saw one of these birds come to my feeder. In my excitement to grab my camera out of the bag, I forgot to verify its mode selection and just started snapping away. Well.... the images all came out blackIt seems that that camera somehow went from...

Rose-breasted Grosbeak