EVENING GBQSBEA Ks: VIS ITORSfEiH AT , _ CAME T9 5.14%.S’T5AYJ}

by Geoff Hogan, Charlottetown' "

\ ‘ 1,. ‘p‘ H“- mm . L w "1-h""| '- ‘

.' I \\i ','Q\" I | \ .

It always surprises me when someone watching our.winter bird feeding station for the first time exclaims. "Whatare those @ beautiful yellow birds?!"' These people have never seen an 1*~ 1 ‘g:_ ' ‘5',»

'Evening'Grosbeak before and i ' i_ ‘ i" I A (:::> ‘ did not realize that we have ‘ ' p ' " i such colOurful-birds on P;E.I., especially during the winter.

’Evening Grosbeaks have been the most conspicuous visitors to -v i our winter‘feeding station for many years. As many as 80 to 100 have arrived at one time, making the white birch tree appear to be covered with yellow leaves...in mid-winter? The male, with predominantly yellow plumage and contrasting black n":, tail and wings (with prominent white patch), cannot be confused7m_yotk . W with any other birdrthis size.’ The"male American Goldfinch in‘breeding plumage, is brighterfifindgmnchtsmaller. The_fema;e grosbeak is_attractiye¢in tones of r ' gray and961iveywiihiwhite,markings=on her black tail and wings; fBoth sexesyaTT“

showever,[have_the dietinctive large conical beak, used to egpértly”open~sunflower

z .“‘

> . c

seeds, their favorite food at'winter feeding stations. 4*;,’ I'-

These large finChes'originally were a western species”bht have‘extended"” their range into the east. They were first reported in Nova Scotia in 1913.but did not become regular visitors there until nearly 30 years later. P E.I.'s first record came in'January 1927 when several were observed in Souris. Scattered reports occurred thereafter; however the species did not become common until much later, and then only during the winter months. By the mid to.late 195015 and N certainly by the mid 1960's they were regular, if sporadic, visitors‘to many feeding statiofisf”"§ince then they have been observed on the lsland during the N summer months as well and there is evidence that they have bred; v ‘: 1m

Travelling in.flocks they generally appear in the vicinity of our feeding station by late November or December and quickly become_established once san-«31 flower seeds are provided. They appear almost daily thereafter, remaining until late spring when the snow has gone and the sunflower seed supply is much reduced. A few stragglers remain, each year it seems longer, so that by June or July l5‘. hope that a pair has established a territory in our neighbourhood. So far they haven't. For the summer months most of the flocks likely migrate Enrther north~¢i to breed but some go the woodlands of P.E.I., thereby becoming a yearrround addition to our avifauna. ’ . I y . . V _

While some people have described the thrOngs of Evening Grosbeaks as greedy, bullies I.fifidtit‘somewhat,satisfying to watch a bird that can stand up to a_- Starling. Indeed, these birds are nearly equally matched and I have watched contests on the feeder go either way. However, the Blue Jay, when he arrives, still rules the roost. '

H