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     by Geoff Hogan, Charlottetown' " 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
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     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 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
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     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