| Common Name | Red-breasted Grosbeak |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pheucticus ludovicianus |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 01/02/2020 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | George C. Wood |
| Mailing Address | 311 Laurel Lane Haverford, PA 19041 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 01/02/2020 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | None (at moment) |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 0 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 0 |
| Place Name | Private residence on Perry Farm Road, Mt. Holly Vt |
| Township | Plymouth |
| County | Rutland |
| Time of Day | 11:45 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 5 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 15 feet |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 15 feet |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Sunny and clear; 30F |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | 8x45 Bunton Binoculars |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I’ve been birding since 1968. Very familiar with R-B Grosbeak. Just not in winter! |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Hanging feeders off porch of private home. 6 or 7 Black-capped chickadees, one male and one female Purple Finch, two Blue Jays, one (calling) Mourning Dove, two Goldfinches. |
| Behaviors Observed | This bird has been frequenting my friend’s feeders for a couple of weeks. It likes black oil sunflowers. A little more squirting than chickadees. Flew away into nearby evergreens three times as I approached to obtain better I-phone photographs. Short level flight five feet above ground. |
| Description of Vocalizations | Silent. Did not respond to my (periodic) IBird plus app vocalizations. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Originally my friend said he had a Pine Grosbeak coming to his feeder. When I first saw bird (2 days ago) the white eye stripe, white in wings and faint red in chest made me think R-B Grosbeak. Upon further look from indoors at 25 feet with binoculars, I was confident this was a wayward R-B Grosbeak. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Noticeably bigger than the two Purple (not House) Finches frequenting the feeders. Although the guide says they could be similar in size. |
| Head | Brownish and white. Not black. Noticeable eye-stripe |
| Feet & Bill | Grosbeak bill! |
| Upper Back | Patterned brown and white. See photos |
| Lower Back & Rump | See photos |
| Wings | See photos |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | See photos |
| Tail | See photos |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Pine Grosbeak and Purple Finch. See above |
| Other Notes & Comments | No |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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