| Common Name | Blue Grosbeak |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Passerina caerulea |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 04/21/2019 |
| Media |  |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Lewis Grove |
| Mailing Address | PO Box 832 South Royalton, Vermont 05068 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 06/06/2020 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 43.484052 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.390724 |
| Place Name | Lake Runnemede |
| Township | Windsor (I think) |
| County | Windsor |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 06:45 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | ~1 min |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 35 ft |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 35 ft |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Strong southerly winds the night before + major spring flight on radar over previous night made great conditions for fallout / overshoots. A few other BLGR made it into New England that same day, if I remember correctly. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Olympus bins (7.5 x 42 maybe? everything is worn off), beat up by years of field time. Pictures with a Canon 70D + 300mm f/4 IS |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I've encountered BLGRs numerous times while birding in NJ, MD, VA, FL, TN, TX, and AZ, and while doing point counts in PA, NE, and SD. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Thick salix (I think?) stand along the pond edge. |
| Behaviors Observed | Was perched up when I located, flew off roughly SSE quickly after first sighting. |
| Description of Vocalizations | I heard no vocalizations. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I was working through the very-busy flocks of early warbler migrants along the pond edge, really happy with the volume of birds present. I remember turning to my left, immediately seeing and noting the unusual blue bird in the shrub. My mind very briefly thought Blue Bunting (ha) before seeing the darker wings. I maybe had it in my bins for two seconds before reaching for the camera. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Well, like I said, my brain oddly first went to Blue Bunting, but I immediately realized that was wrong. I cannot recall even considering INBU, given the early date, though I might have. Either way, within a second or two, I had noted the dark brownish wings and somewhat chunkier build; given the timing, and despite its range, BLGR was also more likely than INBU, I reasoned. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
Vermont Atlas of Life Partners
