This past Fall I had been hearing the calls of small flocks of Evening Grosbeaks for weeks on my daily walks. Seeing them is another thing. They swoop by high in the sky and land high up in the poplar/spruce trees that are dispersed throughout the area. With leaves still on the trees, a limited zoom lens, harsh sunlight (they never land where the best light is!), I had been wondering if what I was hearing and seeing are the Evening Grosbeaks.
A physical distance visit to friends at their farm, outside on the back deck enjoying a warm and sunny Fall afternoon, surrounded by numerous bird feeders and I was able to confirm that I had been hearing and seeing small flocks of Evening Grosbeaks.
Watching them at the feeders close to the back deck was a real treat as the Fall colours highlighted their beautiful plumage, both the striking males and the females/immature males. Bonus: I managed to take a few decent photos of their bird feeder visits.
Evening Grosbeaks are part of the Finch family. They are stocky birds with incredible beaks that are made for cracking and eating seeds. They eat the seeds from the cones of spruce, balsam fir and pine trees. They eat the seeds from other deciduous trees and shrubs as well as they began spreading from their original habitat of the foothills of the Canadian Rockies as far east as Newfoundland and as far south as Northern Mexico.
Evening Grosbeak was a name given by English-speaking settlers in the mistaken belief that they came out in the evening to sing. The french-speakers, more appropriately, called the birds, “le gros-bec errant, the wandering grosbeak”. They seem to be less migratory in their nature vs wanderers in search of natural food dictating where and when they move throughout their increased range. They have adapted well from their preferred thick coniferous forest habitat to mixed deciduous forest. Further complicating their erratic wanderings is the increase in winter bird feeding stations across their range. They are attracted to the sunflower seeds served, preferably, on a raised platform.
These birds are so adapted to their environment that during early Spring the colour of their beaks change (winter it is bone coloured). “Its new colour matches precisely the green of fresh deciduous buds and leaves and also the new needles that will tip the spruce boughs around the site where the bird’s nest will be built a few weeks hence.”
The more I read about them, the more I am fascinated by their wanderings. Most of us are thrilled to see them, willingly welcoming them to backyard feeders, delighting in their beauty. We don’t impose imaginary boundaries to limit their movements. We are curious about their erratic wanderings, itinerant sightings, and discover how they are very adept at feeding on the spruce budworm which is a pulpwood pest.
I wonder about our own wandering movements as a species and how we can change the narrative from fear of the other to understanding that wandering/migration is a part of us, our adaptation to a world-wide range. Humans have been wanderers since the beginning and no matter where we are, home is not a stationary place, it is a place that we have always carried within our beings like the birds we see every year.
In some cases, birds (and other animals/species) are pushed out of their range due to circumstances beyond their control - loss of habitat, fire, flood, drought, reduced food sources, competition from other species - the list is endless as to what can change in a given year and knock birds off course and have some seeking a new place to perch.
The human story is not any different. Wandering movement is a part of who we are and the reasons we leave our homes are often the same reasons other animals move - our circumstances have changed, often beyond our control and we are seeking food, shelter, safety, opportunity. Birds are at risk when they wander due to the long journey, uncertain food sources, inclement weather they encounter along the way and greater risk of predation. For humans it is similar - and predation happens by fellow human beings.
I join the many millions of humans who delight in learning about birds, sighting them, finding out about their habits, marvelling at their ability to survive and thrive in so many situations.
Delight in learning about our fellow human beings is something we can all cultivate by being amazed at the diversity of our cultures, the ability to adapt to our surroundings and live in all parts of the world and understand that we are all in this together - our lives - the whole human species along with so many other species hang in the balance. We will need to embrace our humanity, welcome each other as we greet each other in the web of life and work like we have never done before to ensure the world can sustain our continued existence.
My wish for 2021 is that we all become kinder to each other, to other species, to the world that nurtures us all and move towards healing our environment for future generations so they too can delight in the diversity of wherever they wander, embraced by life.
To find out more about Evening Grosbeaks, check out these sites:
https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/evening-grosbeak.html
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/evening-grosbeak
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id
