stunning grosbeaks

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Last Wednesday at Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge I met Martha and Gordon Brewer from north Georgia near Ellijay.   They came to one of my presentations and visited with me at my Author's Table afterwards.

I soon learned that Martha loves nature photography. 

"I do enjoy taking photos of nature and am always on the lookout for an interesting subject. Nature is fascinating, as you agree," she emailed.

Martha sent me the above stunning photograph of three male rose-breasted grosbeaks, all at their feeder at the same time. These grosbeaks are spring migrants. They spend their winters in Central and South America and return generally every April to nest farther to our north and in the higher elevations of the Cumberland Mountains in East Tennessee.  

Most birds migrant south for the winter because their diets are largely made up of insects. But the grosbeaks are related to cardinals and have those large seed-cracking bills so they can often be seen eating sunflower seeds at our feeders as they pass through the lowlands. 

BUT you rarely see three at the same feeder at the same time!

"Each spring and fall, the grosbeaks migrate through our area," emailed Martha. "They usually appear the last of April or first of May and then again in September, although the numbers are smaller then. The males normally show up first, and then the females arrive.  I miss them when they are gone (ephemeral!!)." 

Yes. It is all so ephemeral. 

Great photograph, Martha.

Thank you for sharing.

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