With fall bird migration in our area, I expected to see a number of migrating warblers in our area as they fly south.
What a pleasant surprise to find a juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak stop by the platform feeder to feed on some sunflower seeds. (Note the bits of seeds around its bill.)
I haven’t seen a Rose-breasted grosbeak at our feeders for over six years. I know they’re in our area, since I regularly see and hear them at neighborhood parks.
When I first saw the bird, I thought it was a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It landed on the feeder, flew to the nearby ninebark bush (Physocarpus opulifolius), then returned again to the feeder.
The bird was brown, streaked, had a chunky bill, white wingbars, and a whitish stripe over its eye.
When it returned to the feeder the second time, I could see the faint rose-colored triangle patch on its breast. Only male Rose-breasted grosbeaks have the rose patch on their breast.
