Monday, May 13, 2013

Not Such A Warm Welcome

This little guy just got in from Columbia, South America where they winter.
 They come up to to breed here in North America in spring and summer.
 Hmmm, maybe I flew a bit far too north thinks this Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Yep, that's snow you see. Yesterday May 12th, it snowed off and on all day in my part of SW Ontario.
 
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a large stocky insect-eating songbird in the cardinal family. It is primarily a foliage gleaner. It breeds in cool-temperate North America, migrating to tropical Central and South America in winter.

They also eat sunflower seeds, safflower seeds and raw peanuts, which is a good thing, because there were no insects around in the snowstorm!
 
This is a "first" for me, I've never seen Grosbeaks before. I spent a lot of the day watching TWO of them pigging out at the feeders! I also saw one female, but she never stood still enough for me to get a shot.
 
sharing with...
 
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62 comments:

  1. Great shots Karen I have seen them around here but then again we do not have snow coming down like you had yesterday:) B

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  2. Beautiful captures! Hope he adjusts to the cooler temps! Hope you are done with snow!

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  3. I have never seen one either and he is just beautiful. Your photos are wonderfully detailed.

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  4. Wonderful shots there, I bet he wished he packed his thermals though!

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  5. What a beautiful bird and your shots are terrific, Karen!! I've never seen a Rose-breasted Grosbeak before so these shots are a real treat!! He does look just a tad chilly!!!

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  6. I just love these beautiful birds, great shots!

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  7. Great shots!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  8. Beautiful photography Karen, gorgeous birds, must be tuff for them when it snows.

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  9. So lovely pictures taken by the little bird. Boring that it has snowed, hope it disappears quickly.
    Have a great week :-)

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  10. The Grosbeak shouldn't be all that surprised - it is after all the Great White North. Snow is what should be occurring in the Yukon instead of the southern provinces. Nature seems to be getting the last laugh at the expense of the bird...warmer days is our hope for you!

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  11. awwww poor babies!!

    these images are amazing karen, i just love the crisp, clear, up-close detail!!

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  12. great pics and another trophy for your bird feeders "hall of fame" !

    well done! *VBS*

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  13. What a pretty bird. I agree, maybe it did fly a little too far north too early!

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  14. That's a very handsome bird. Great shots.

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  15. GREAT shots! beautiful! poor little things!

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  16. Those shots are simply stunning! Sorry about the snow though...

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  17. Amazing bird shots. Hope the bird can survive.

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  18. Excellent captures, each one. We had a very cold, wet, and even a little snowy spring. The robins were dazed and confused. Have a great Ruby Tuesday.

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  19. Such a pretty bird! Beautiful shots and interesting information. Thanks for sharing! xx

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  20. How exciting for you!
    I've never seen one of these pretty little fellows.
    Love your second shot!

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  21. Such a treat. A gorgeous bird. Thank you. Lots.

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  22. You did a great job taking photos of these birds. I don't know how you manage it, but I never get close enough to birds to get a sharp picture of them.You spent so much time and have so much patience and the results are stunning.

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  23. oh...it's just beautiful; fabulous photographs

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  24. Wonderful picture - I love the falling snow

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  25. What a thrill to have such a wonderful visitor drop in. Glad your fast food stand was open for business.

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  26. Cute guy! I wonder how he liked the below-freezing temperatures e had recently.

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  27. Ggorgeous bird, Karen!
    Love the colors...
    Warm greetings from Holland,
    Anna :))

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  28. Impressive shots! Poor things though, I hope they survive the elements. You were able to get some really awesome images of these beautiful birds.

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  29. Lovely serie of photos!
    Well done!

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  30. Great! I like, light and color, beautiful bird, nice photos!

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  31. These birds stopped by here on their way up to see y'all:). I did not get a pic but I was remarking how pretty the red was

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  32. Beautiful pictures of a beautiful bird, we don't see them here.
    Best regards, Marion

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  33. Hi Karen. Stunning images of a species I have never seen in the flesh.
    Like many of our migrant visitors they must be wondering why they flew northwards to be greeted by bad weather!

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  34. Very lovely bird. Nice color contrasts.

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  35. Great pictures of a bird I never seen before! Too bad you got snow!
    Greetings Pia

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  36. Here in NE Illinois it got down to freezing the night before last, and today it is in the mid-80s (F). Very nice photos of the grosbeak in those conditions.

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  37. Beautiful bird and I hope it warms up soon around your place.

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  38. poor little one. I hope the snow is gone again. But you got some great shots.

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  39. Wow..so beautiful of a bird, and the colors are just amazing!

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  40. It was the same here... Poor birds.... Michelle

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  41. Beautiful photos, it will be so nice when they arrive in Alberta!

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  42. It's nice to see these again. We had them in our back yard about a month, and the last time I saw one was a couple of weeks ago. I miss them. Glad you shared their beauty with us.

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  43. Poor cold little birdies (poor you too ;>))... but, oh I would have been just the same as you, watching them all day long. Thanks for sharing your "lifer" ... they are such a beautiful bird. I have had only two tiny glimpses of them; can hardly count them as a bird I've seen.

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  44. oh Karen these are truly stunning photos!

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  45. These are all just amazing! I am not one that has the patience or talent to take a good bird photo, so I envy yours!

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  46. Fabulous shots! We don't see them here, but they're gorgeous birds!

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  47. Really amazing to get snow in mid-May. Weather around the world has gone haywire in the last few years. We are two weeks out of winter and my roses are shooting as though it were sprain also, the birds are into territorial fights.
    Wonderful for you to see this lifer and I am so glad that your take-away was open to sustain them.

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  48. Excellent shots of this gorgeous bird.

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  49. I nearly missed these Karen! Beautiful photos of a spectacular bird - I'd love to see one!!

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  50. Stunning photos. Beautiful bird.

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  51. The weather this year is enough to get anyone one off schedule, but especially if one is flying in from thousands of miles away!

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  52. We in KY have had some crazy weather too. Glad that some were like yourself and placed out seed for these beauties. What a shake-up to travel so far and then get hit with a snowfall~

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  53. how CUUUUUTE! love you gramma

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  54. Love you too my sweet girl!

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  55. This series is wonderful. I think Beaker is my favorite of all our birds. The pic`s of him are so crisp, love the detail.

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