I am a May child,
so naturally, the calendar bird of May is something I can identify with or find particularly fun, and this time, with the regulars, it is a MoDo. The June bird is a juvenile Rosebreasted Grosbeak. I love the mix of patterns and colors that are going on with this one while the baby plumage is still there but the adult one is coming through. (The red on his beak is grape jelly.)
About two days ago,
I started hearing baby calls of Grosbeaks, Blue Jays and Orioles. Grosbeak babies have a very cute and gentle begging call, almost like a teensy wailing. The young ones look like the females, and male plumage takes quite a while to develop, with some cool patchwork patterns in between. The males’ chest pattern varies in shape, size and vibrancy but usually they all have a fully black head. This guy that came yesterday does not. It is interesting because he otherwise looks like a regular adult male. I am adding two others for comparison. I also like that his chest pattern looks like a heart.
Rosebreasted Grosbeaks
are wonderful summer guests. I love their melodic songs and their mellow attitude. They are generally not one for lots of poses, they just sit down and chow down, but these portraits were fun because you see a bit more of their personality. To me, they always look a bit like they just woke up 😆
Sometimes, complaining pays off,
it seems. Since yesterday, things have changed a lot in the yard. The Baltimore Orioles have finally arrived, and along with them, several Rosebreasted Grosbeaks as well. This morning, I can hear them all sing up in the trees too, and it is so uplifting! Here are some male Orioles and a female Grosbeak from yesterday. I have set my Birdsy camera with the Oriole feeder to stream live on birdsy.com, check it out!
Guessing from the local birding groups,
Michigan is bursting with Orioles and Hummingbirds but I have not seen either yet. I think the Orioles are soon to arrive but given recent years, I am not counting on a lot of hummer activitiy anytime soon. I did hear the House Wren sing today, and Grosbeaks are around. Here is one of them, and two weird occurances from this week - a Grack with an injured beak and a MoDo with an egg stuck to its leg. We are all confused here! Happy weekend!
The process
of choosing photos for my calendars is always a bit of a thing I love and hate. On the one hand, it is fun to revisit the year but on the other hand it is very hard to narrow a selection down. Usually what I do is go through older posts of the year and copy the ones I may consider into a special subfolder and then wittle things down.
Of these four, the immature male Rosebreasted Grosbeak and the Bluebird made the cut - they are April and May. The Grackle is an alternative I considered for March. I love Grackles in the rain but somehow I landed on the RWBB instead. The second Grosbeak I loved because of the slightly different coloring. It appears to be a female but I also see a tiny red dot on the fold in the belly and the vibrant yellow is a bit unusual. The photo is from May (the Serviceberry is blooming), and since I wanted the Bluebird for May (my birthday month), the Grosbeak was out.
You can find my calendars here.
Rosebreasted Grosbeaks
are seasonal visitors in Michigan. they arrive in May and leave in the middle of the Midwestern summer. I love these birds because they are beautiful but also because of their character. They remind me a bit of an old dog or kitty. They will come, sit down and eat. And nothing will really bother them, not even a thunderstorm. They are another bird where all individuals look alike from afar, but nope. Look at this diversity!
While migration is going on,
we might often see birds that can be a bit confusing to identify. They are the youngsters from last year and are still molting into their adult plumage or females that are usually more shy. In the last two days, I saw some of this in Rosebreasted Grosbeaks and Redwinged Blackbirds (the third picture is a female).
Another week
with a suboptimal work-bird balance, but I managed to go through some photos. The weather has been too cold for my liking these last days too, and it felt a bit like all that spring feeling came to a temporary halt. Nevertheless, it is not just Goldfinches, MoDos and Grackles here anymore. Along with the Orioles, a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak has arrived, and yesterday, a female joined him. You can see nicely why they have their name - for their big, strong beaks. They love black oilers and can sit down at the feeder for a long time.
Video: Another lovely migratory surprise
Rosebreasted Grosbeaks come here in spring, stay during summer and raise their babies, and usually leave my area pretty early, like in August. Today, these two showed up, a young female and male. The female comes in first, she has the yellow “armpits”, then the male comes in, with red “armpits” and a bit onf the red bib showing too. I hope they have safe travels! Come good into Monday!
Much like the human world,
the bird world is full of drama and posing. Somehow, though, it is much more enjoyable to look at. Of course I am injecting a bit of anthropomorphism into this, I sometimes can’t help myself. It has been hot and humid with the occasional thunderstorm, and the birds that came to the feeders puffed up to stay cool (in both senses of the word, look at that Grack!) or get dry.
(Red-winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, MoDo, female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Grackle)
The weather has been less than stellar
and activity remains low, but I was happy to see the Grosbeak female, a frequently visiting female Red-winged Blackbird, and the ever so beautiful wet Blue Jays. The forecast is very summery, though, and I am expecting lots of baby birds to show up soon. Dr. Clara and Mandrake’s babies are due to hatch in a few days as well.
I put the jelly feeder on the cam
to see how Oriole frequency is, and here is who hit it today. I also saw a female Hummingbird. However, this is Michigan. We have a frost warning tonight, and I hope everybody has a warm spot. The week should be warmer, and hopefully, May finally has a chance to really show off. Happy Monday!
(I realize the lens was dirty but I did not see it at the time.)
His lady was there the other day,
now here’s her man. I love Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and today, several more have arrived. They are very easy bird guests, they are happy with black oil sunflower seeds and safflower.
This beautiful lady
was new at the feeders today. She is a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and I find it funny how she had a fabulous portrait on her first day while the male was messing up, being not properly in the frame. I love these birds, they have a calming and badass presence at the same time. I have seen them sitting on the feeder through tunderstorms, gobbling away calmly. Welcome back, beauties!
Video: Rose-breasted Grosbeak family at the bath
This was so cute this morning. Papa Grosbeak is taking his son to the pool and feeding him. And then both bathe. I made a little platform area by the waterfall for the smaller birds, and the babies seem to like it to get a first feel for the pool. There are so many baby birds around at the moment, it should be fun to watch the livestream for the next couple of days. I promise I will try to keep up with wiping the splash shield.
Bruuuce
had some good eyebrows last night. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are also bringing their babies near the feeders now, I can hear their cute little whiny noises in the trees. I always found it funny how a bird that looks so impressive has the most adorable little sounds when it is begging. The complete opposite of a European Starling.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
have been coming steadily, but I haven’t seen any of their offspring yet. They must have a nest close by, a nest by spider webs, because this guy always has them on his head. The photo is partially blurry but I thought it was cool because it shows the red on the underside of the wings. The female is much more camouflaged but beautiful nevertheless. I love these birds.
Power stance.
I know it is a repetitive pose, but I love it because they all have so much individual character.
(MoDo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue jay, Grackle)
