Bird Notes
by John Parker
As I’m writing this, we’re still locked into deep winter, with abundant snowfall and sub-zero temperatures. Most of the former lingering birds are long gone, with a few exceptions, like the five Snow Geese Mel McCarver found along Cameron Bridge Road February 4th. It’s the time of year for more simple pleasures, like the hardy birds and the occasional surprises at your feeders or the few birds to be found in the mountains.
The most unusual bird recently was a Western Bluebird seen by Dave Benes along Camp Creek Road, west of Bozeman. This bluebird seemed to be in association with several robins and solitaires in thickets near the creek. Western Bluebirds are always a rare sighting in southwestern Montana, typically only seen during migration.
It’s been a slow year for Blue Jays in this area, though three were seen on the Bozeman and Three Forks Christmas Bird Counts in December. Two more were reported in mid-February. The first Blue Jay was seen February 10th, by Theresa Hruska in Forest Park west of Four Corners. The second Blue Jay report came from west of Glen Lake in north Bozeman, when Josiah Kiehl caught sight of one on his way to work on February 12th.
Rusty Blackbird by Lou Ann Harris.
A Rusty Blackbird has been very cooperatively coming to the Story Mill feeding station from mid-January to mid-February, giving many birders the opportunity to see this visitor from the north. Thank you to all of the SAS chapter members that help to maintain the feeders in this community park.
We are fortunate to have the flashy Evening Grosbeak as a common breeder in this area, with peak numbers occurring in May and June before they disperse into the mountains for nesting, and then again, a post-breeding peak in late summer and early fall before they migrate. During winter this irruptive species is more erratically seen, as they wander widely across the coniferous forests of North America in search of abundant seed crops.
The Evening Grosbeak bill—the largest of any North American finch—is very impressive, so much so that both the species Latin and common names refer to the bill. The genus name Coccothraustes derives from the Greek words for “kernal” and “shatter.” The species name verpertinus is Latin for “evening” or “evening song.” The common name Evening Grosbeak comes from the French for “gros” and “bec”: large beak.
This winter, Evening Grosbeak numbers have been relatively low, but we’ve been fortunate to have varying numbers visiting our feeders near Hyalite Canyon. On November 25th, I looked out the window into the backyard, and had a “What the…!” moment. There was what at first glance appeared to be a pure white bird in the chokecherry tree. After the initial shock of “what is that,” I zeroed onto the bill, and that massive bill gave away the identification. On closer examination, the Evening Grosbeak had a swath of lemon-yellow wrapping around its neck and shoulders.
This leucistic Evening Grosbeak came to our feeders for the next three days. A few days later the same bird was seen at feeders near Leverich Canyon, then later in December it showed up briefly at some feeders in Bear Canyon. Finally, this stunning bird was spotted by Oliver Palmer up Kelly Canyon on January 7th.
Not only do Evening Grosbeaks wander on a grand scale, but as proven by this distinctive bird, they also wander on a more local level. Hopefully, someone else will get a visit from this amazing bird.
