Rose-breasted Grosbeak

May 9 2017 RBG Arboretum, Hamilton ON There was a touch of frost on the grass when we started this morning but by the time we finished our bird count it was just a beautiful spring morning.

My companion and I spent three hours, much of it at a standstill as we examined each little bird in the extremities of freshly budding oaks and maples trying to make them into something other than yet another Yellow-rumped Warbler.

It was a decorative day with sunshine, little popcorn clouds and colourful birds: Nashville, Blue-winged, Palm, Yellow and Blackburnian Warblers. Two Blue-headed Vireos, a Yellow-throated Vireo and my Bird of the Day was a showy metaphor for a colourful day, a male Rose-breasted Grossbeak – well actually there was a pair of them, but the poor female is not a head-turner.

The male seemed to have no fear of us, he was far more interested in reaching a small scattering of seed on the forest floor. Here are several photos of him because he was so photogenic; click on any picture to enlarge it.

That large pale beak is powerful and suited for getting into really hard seeds like those in cherries. They are fairly omnivorous and happily gulp down beetles, flies, soft fruit, flowers and all sorts and sizes of seeds, but some kind of almost impenetrable nut must be part of their diet somewhere, if not here then on their Central or South-American wintering grounds. The beak is a formidable weapon and anyone who’s handled a Rose-breasted Grosbeak knows to take great care, they will easily slice fleshy, triangular chunks off your hand. Bird-banders use a special stainless band on them because they will snip off a standard aluminum band.