Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Hungry Passerby

On April 26th a male, rose-breasted grosbeak came to my feeder. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out the back door. Instinctively, I grabbed my camera, nervously shoving the memory card in its slot and checking my settings. These were shot hand-held from a pretty good distance because I was afraid of spooking him. I was hoping for another opportunity to get shots, but he never came back. Oh well, sometimes you just have to take what you can get!

The only shot I got of his backside.





The feeder he is perched on has been an effective one for keeping squirrels out. Too much weight on the perches brings down a door that closes off access to the seeds. I've had it for several months now and it really works. It was on sale at our local garden center.

39 comments:

Nancy's Notes said...

What a photo shoot! Your feathered friend is just awesome! Love the brilliant red and black feathers, oh my!

Anni said...

Beautiful....
Absolutely beautiful.

Hootin' Anni
and
Anni @ I'd Rather B Birdin'

eileeninmd said...

They are beautiful birds and my favorite! Great shots!

Carole M. said...

oooooh ... he's so handsome!!

Optimistic Existentialist said...

It's been years since I saw a rose-breasted grosbeak. I used to see them at my grandparent's bird feeder when I was little :)

TexWisGirl said...

he's awesome! i've only seen them a couple of times passing through here. once again, cracking shots, gail!

Roan said...

Handsome guy! Really great shots. I must see if I can find one of those feeders.

rainfield61 said...

I would like to say a handsome guy too.

Though this never points to me.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

kudos for no tripod! :)

Irma said...

Beautiful pictures of this rose-breasted grosbeak.
I've never seen these.
The feeder is also great, so perfect for the birds.
My favorite pictures are 4 and 6.
Greetings Irma

Shug said...

Oh wow....he is a keeper.....keep filling up that feeder so he will keep coming back. such a beautiful bird! I love seeing the red on these birds..
We had bad storms last evening...hope you all are missing them.

Willow said...

Love the shots Gail and that feeder sounds like it really is squirrel proof ~ pretty amazing lol

Anvilcloud said...

These are such sharp pics, handheld from a distance. I sure couldn't tell.

Debbie said...

oh these are just beautiful gail (i am running low on adjectives) and this must have been an exciting sighting!!

i don't get these at my feeders!!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome looking bird! Love the red! Great, fun photoshoot!

Karen said...

Fabulous shots Gail! He is a beauty! I had one visiting my yard for two days, but he's no where in sight now.

hootnonny said...

Maybe he'll return for more grub. In the meantime, you have your memories and these awesome shots! Love the markings on his back.

Kerry said...

Look at this fancy guy chowing down. What a beauty! And that feeder is really cool.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

when you take pics are you sitting & waiting for them to land or do you just pick up your camera & start taking those shots? i love the eating shot. so cool!! ( :

Waldameise Andrea said...

Ich bin immer wieder begeistert, welch schöne Vogelarten bei euch leben. Danke fürs Teilhaben.

Liebe Grüße
Waldameise

Ela said...

Gorgeous !!! And really hungry!!
Greetings

Bas. said...

wel een heel mooi systeem maar deze foto,s zijn grandioos hij heeft schijnbaar erg veel honger.

The Cranky said...

He's a gorgeous wee guy; beautifully captured Gail!
In the first photo it looks like he's thinking "hey! can't a guy get some privacy around here?!?"

Amy Burzese said...

He's a beauty! And these are very good shots, especially to have been taken on the fly.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

I think these are great, Gail. I don't think I've ever seen them from the back, but that black and white coloring is striking. You captured the red color on the breast beautifully.

Evelyn S. said...

Such vibrant colors! He's definitely enjoying the sunflower seeds, isn't he?

barbara l. hale said...

He's a true beauty and your pictures are great! Nice job on keeping the squirrels at bay!

Karen said...

He is beautiful, you were lucky to get such great shots of him, and to pick up a great bird feeder.

Anonymous said...

What a beauty! I've seen only one here.

Melissa said...

Such a handsome guy. I love his expression when he cracks a seed open! We had one stop by our feeder for a few days one May when I lived in Michigan, and I named him the Colonel because there's this army medal that Engineer Col's get that looks like his yoke.

Michelle said...

You captured this fellow very well. I had some a week or so ago, and haven't seen them since!

Brian King said...

This guy is gorgeous! We've never had them at our feeders.

Ruth Hiebert said...

I love the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and get excited when they show up here. Had two the other day,but so far no pictures. I think I need to find a feeder like that.I get quite annoyed when the squirrels eat all the bird food.

Linda said...

What a beak on that bird!

Pantherka said...

It's very beautiful. Very nice coloring.

orchid0324 said...

Great photographs of rose-breasted grosbeak♡♡♡ I love his color arrangement with black and red in his chest.
Oh, "shoving the memory card in its slot", LOVED this poetic phrase, Gail; at least for me p;)

Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Oh my gosh he is absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful. Words fail me. Thanks for sharing.

Charlotte Wilson said...

Gail, that is a good idea to have a hiding place so that the birds won't get spooked. Every I get close enough with my 105mm, they fly away. Still saving for the 80-400mm zoom (Nikor). One of these days.
Do you have a squirrel problem there? Jim has been chasing one pesky squirrel after another all morning. (or maybe it is the same one)

Lovely shots by the way. I am always amazed at the detail in your photos. Your exposure is so perfect too. I seem to always over expose and then compensate in RAW.

Donna said...

I love these birds and it has been a long time since I saw one.