| Common Name | Blue grosbeak |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Passerina caerulea |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 10/11/2023 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Siler Russ |
| Mailing Address | PO Box 171 South Royalton, Vermont 05068 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 10/11/2023 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Kyle Jones: Greg Russ: |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 43.82491 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.56907 |
| Place Name | Fox Stand |
| Township | South Royalton |
| County | Windsor |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 08:49 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 8 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 50 ft |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 10 feet |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Overcast |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Nikon Coolpix P950 camera |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | Have seen a Blue grosbeak on the Outer Banks earlier this year. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Weedy field and edges. Other birds present include SAVS, SOSP, WTSP, LISP |
| Behaviors Observed | Feeding |
| Description of Vocalizations | Metallic chips |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Blue grosbeak was amongst tall weeds with several sparrows. Initialy thought it was a cardinal. Took a minute or two to get a better look. All 3 of us got eyes on it. Wasn’t convinced as to what it was until we saw the beak and wing bars. Tracked the Blue grosbeak to the field edge where we observed it feeding on yellow foxtail near some staghorn sumac. I was able to get within 10’ and took several photos. The Blue grosbeak then flew to a buckthorn. We observed it for another minute or two before it flew away. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Cardinal size and shape |
| Head | Blue ear patch, dark tan head, slightly lighter tan throat. |
| Feet & Bill | Thick bill |
| Upper Back | Slightly streaked |
| Lower Back & Rump | Wings were covering lower back. Rump was purplish |
| Wings | Dark wings with orange wing bars |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Flanks & Breast were light tan with streaks of blue. White under tail coverts. |
| Tail | Long bluish tail |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Eliminated Northern cardinal and Indigo bunting due to size, shape, color, and markings. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Female/immature male |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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