I was delighted today, January 5th, when I noticed the black-headed grosbeak had returned to the backyard. He was here off and on all day, and I managed to get one pretty good picture of him and several pretty bad ones! I also had a friend come by to observe the bird for ID verification, but as often is the case, Mr. Grosbeak chose not to show up while the friend was here. He did have the good manners to at least wait a couple of hours before coming back. I fully expected him to flutter into view about the time she backed out of the driveway.
After seeing my photo and sketch, she agreed with me that the bird is a first-winter male black-headed grosbeak who is molting into adult plumage. When seen today, he had more yellow on his belly than last week. He also came out of the shadows enough to be positive that there was no streaking on his breast.
In an effort to be as complete and thorough as possible, I decided to post this additional information about my vagrant visitor. I will enjoy him while he chooses to stay and will miss him when he goes. My life is enriched again and again by the surprises and miracles of nature.
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