This morning, while drinking my morning coffee, I glimpsed an unusual bird in our big old apple tree out back. What I initially saw was a back view of a black bird with some white bits. It was around the same size or perhaps just a little smaller than the red-winged blackbirds also on the tree.

The bird flew away, and returned a moment later. This time I could clearly see the bright red breast and broad beak of the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I’ve seen these birds many times in our area but this was a first for our feeder.