Just because!

Wow! I'll I have to say. Not too often we catch birds that look like this. I can only remember one other. So when we caught this adult male Blue Grosbeak, you knew cameras were going to be out. And this feller was a model. He worked every angle. ha ha Anyway, not the rarest bird here on the shore and in all reality, their numbers have been increasing here. Although this species is not caught in high numbers every year, usually around 3-4 a season, they are often heard singing early in the season nearby. In 2004, the agriculture field that was right next to the banding station went fallow (allowed to grow up naturally) and when that did, it created a great habitat for some species of birds. One of those to benefit was the Blue Grosbeak. That year 13 were banded. (side note: Indigo Bunting also enjoyed the new field of weeds. That same year we banded 139 of them, when we had been averaging 35!) The next year was also good for Blue Grosbeaks and we caught 16 that season. Since that time, however, their numbers have dropped back down to the 3-4 per season.