Earlier in the week, I unsuccessfully chased down an uncommon winter migrant to our mountains, the Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus). Everyone knows about tracking down essentials during these crazy times. For me, this is way more fun than scouring the shelves. I needed to find the rare grosbeak!
Some birds, like this Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) are much more obliging. They pose on their perch looking for their next insect to gobble up while I have time to snap a photo.
Others like the resident Pinyon Jays ( Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) are usually heard but not always seen. Today's photo was a lucky one. So what about the Evening Grosbeak? I have gone to Garner Valley three times this week and we found 26 of them yesterday!
Although there were lots of these birds, they were high up in the tops of Ponderosa pine trees foraging on the seeds from the cones.
Besides the huge distance, they hid behind the needles of the trees while they enjoyed the seeds. Who can blame them?
There were far more females than males in this flock. Check out the yellow "headband" on the male! I wish I was able to get a better photo but sometimes, you have to be content with the moment. There is a lesson there for all of us.
Best wishes to everyone! I hope you all find what you need!
Photos and content by Robin Roberts
Click on photos to enlarge.
Click on photos to enlarge.
