Evening Grosbeak, ABA's Bird of the Year 2012

Every May when the maple trees flower in western Oregon, flocks of Evening Grosbeaks descend to lowland backyards to eat the blossoms and newly forming seeds. At times, hundreds of birds may quickly empty the bird feeders of black oil sunflower seeds. Despite their locust-plague-like arrival at the feeders, they are so active and cheerful, and presence usually so brief, that all backyard bird feeding enthusiasts I know love hosting Evening Grosbeaks each spring. During the rest of the year, only small numbers of Evening Grosbeaks may show up occasionally at feeders.

These large finches are found throughout the year in the conifer forests. Flocks of nomadic birds follow the ripening cone crops, appearing for a brief time and then moving on.

Evening Grosbeak female

The females, like the one shown above, have a bold black and white patterned wing. Even thought the body color is primarily gray, the subtle coloration and yellowish "shawl" over the neck is quite attractive.

I think of the males, not as yellow with dark heads but, rather, as a smokey blackish-brown fading gradually to yellow on the the lower breast and belly. The white secondaries against the rest of the black wing, create quite an impressive wing patch--both overhead in flight and at rest.

The common call is a rather loud slightly descending (or rising) whistled chirping: "cheer," or "chree" either clear or buzzy. Birds seem to give these calls constantly. Flocks flying over the forest canopy or through a residential neighborhood are quickly given away by the chorus of calls.

Evening Grosbeak male

Is it just me, or does the head of the male Evening Grosbeak look an awfully lot like the football helmet insignia of the Minnesota Vikings--the yellow blaze appearing quite similar to the horns, and the thick bill reminiscent of the face mask? That bird in the back above looks like a linebacker ready to sack the quarterback. Ok, maybe not. Must just be getting close to football season....

The Evening Grosbeak is the American Birding Association's 'bird of the year' for 2012. Though formed primarily to cater to birders most interested in listing and rare birds, the association is now making a concerted effort to involve all birders, of all levels. You should check it out.

To learn more about the Evening Grosbeak, the American Birding Association, and the Bird of the Year program, click on the ABA BOY insignia below.

Female Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak, female, Forest Grove, Oregon on 15 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

This spring I took far more photos than I could prepare in my digital darkroom. Now that summer has arrived and my bird photography has scaled back a bit, I am able to go back through my spring photos and prepare a few more for display.

I wanted to share this photo of a female Evening Grosbeak. It appeared in my backyard-to-be in May, along with the more striking male Evening Grosbeak.

The large flocks of grosbeaks that descended to the valley floor for the maple bloom have now returned to the hills. However, one pair remains--evidently to breed, and I hear them flying around our neighborhood every few days--though they have not returned to the feeders (that I have noticed).

In the backyard... Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak, male, Forest Grove, Oregon on 15 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

This large, stocky finch breeds widely in the forested mountains of the Pacific Northwest, where they feed on pine cones and other fruit, seeds, and insects. In winter, these birds often move to lowland towns throughout the region. However their winter travels are irregular and unpredictable. Some winters they may be common at backyard feeders. In other winters they may be absent.

Each May, however, these birds descend en mass to the lowlands west of the Cascades. Here they feed on the buds and young seeds of native maples and imported elm trees. At this time, they will move in and eat a tremendous amount of sunflower seeds at your feeder. By mid-June, most are gone back to the mountains, probably following the budding of the maples upslope as spring moves up the mountains.

Throughout the year, their loud, descending whistles (both clear and buzzy) announce their presence. However, many times they are glimpsed only in noisy flocks of 6-30 birds flying high overhead.

The bold white patches on the black wings really stand out on both sexes. The males have a smoky black head that pales into the yellow underparts. There is a blaze of yellow across the forehead. The huge bill is bone white, but has a slightly greenish hue in summer. Females lack the black head, and the body plumage is more of a pale gray with only a hint of yellow.

The breeding range of Evening Grosbeaks is the Rocky Mountains from northern British Columbia south through western Mexico, across the boreal forests of Canada to the Atlantic provinces, south to the northern portions of the northern states. The also breed in Western mountains from British Columbia south to central California, including the Coast Range. In winter, they move south, regularly to Pennsylvania and Iowa and other states at that latitude, irregularly to the southern states in the United States.