Evening Grosbeaks

Evening Grosbeaks at Karl's "rusty nail" feeder. Yvonne Koenig/Karl Madsen photo

While some of our friends in northern Saskatchewan shudder when a noisy horde of Evening Grosbeaks descends on their feeders, our son and his wife are delighted to see them at their Okangan feeders. I think it's all part of the "familiarity breeds contempt" business. They come down from the mountains to search for lunch in the valley when their regular food sources are running low and so are a rare treat for Karl and Yvonne.

Thus far in the five years we've been in Naicam, we have not had Evening Grosbeaks visit our feeders although we have had both Rose-breasted and Pine Grosbeaks.

Did you know that an Evening Grosbeak is actually a finch and that they are named Grosbeak (i.e. big beak) for their thick, short, conical bills needed for cracking seeds? And that the Evenings have the largest (is that grossest) beak of all grosbeaks?

Several years ago, Yvonne was at her computer when a grosbeak crashed into the window right in front of her and dropped to the deck. She phoned me to ask what she should do, should she should take it to the vet. I advised her to put it somewhere safe from cats or other predators - like a box or an upturned bucket - and let it recover on its own.

I'd learned about the amazing recuperative power of birds the hard way. Middle daughter Kristin, then seven or eight,was going out the door on her way to school when she discovered a dead bird on the deck. It had obviously collided with the window. She was in tears watching me pick it up by one toe and deposit it gingerly in the garbage can. After school she brought a clutch of friends home with her to view the dead bird. When she opened the lid, the magically recovered bird flew off and I became known as the mother who throws birds in the garbage.

And yes, Yvonne's first bird rescue was successful. After resting and recuperating, the grosbeak flew off to join its buddies.

P.S. So this is Groundhog Day! Six more weeks of winter? If that's all, we'll be dancing in the street!