Male and Female Rose Breasted Grosbeaks

by Deborah
(Nashville, TN)

May 4, 2011 (Middle Tennessee) I caught the female a couple days ago, but she flew off before I could get my binocs. I saw her out there again today and caught a glimpse of the male. He was so striking! Again, by the time I got back with the binocs, he was gone, but flew right back while I was standing there. This time, there were two females and one male, and they were shooing the House Finches away.

Because I live in TN where they are a migrant bird, they weren't in my TN Birds book, and I had to search the internet to find out what these birds were. I'm sad that they are only passing through but feel lucky that the chose our back yard to stop for some food and water.

They are eating out of a skinny, round tube feeder with a large bronze base and several perches up the tube. Both feeders are similar and both are full of safflower. Both females and male are sitting on the large base. I guess while they're migrating, they're less picky about food. :-)