On Sunday I received an email from Karl and Nancy in Georgetown. They sent pictures of a Blue Grosbeak - a very rare bird in Maine - that showed up at their feeders. The email was also a request for information on how old and of what sex I thought the bird was. The only problem was that from the pictures that were sent – I didn’t think it was a Blue Grosbeak! Not that I was doubting the identification, but the admittedly poor photos didn’t show the features that I needed to see, and in fact to me the photos made the bird look like an immature Indigo Bunting. The bird looked small, round-headed, small-billed, and it had a forked tail.

So, Karl and I emailed back and forth a few times, and then Karl scored some better photos and sent them along. Much better photos showed the large bill and peaked head typical of the Blue Grosbeak. But, what about the size and that tail? So, a few more email exchanges between myself and Karl, and some input from a couple of other birders, and I was finally convinced that it was in fact a Blue Grosbeak, and I was able to finally answer Karl’s original question of how old and of what sex the bird is. (It appears to be an immature female by the way).

Here's one of the later shots that Karl sent, clearly showing that the bird was - as Karl and Nancy identified it as - a Blue Grosbeak:

With the identification now confirmed, Jeannette and I made an appointment (birders are welcome to see the bird, but since you need to be inside the house to see the feeders, you need to call first. Call the Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth at 207-846-8002 and we will put you in touch with Karl and Nancy) to drop by to see the bird. Blue Grosbeaks are annual in Maine, with a couple usually seen each spring and fall, especially on Monhegan Island. The bird’s usual breeding range comes no closer than central New Jersey. But, each spring a few apparently “overshoot” their target and show up in New England and even the Maritimes and in fall a few apparently fly the “wrong” way and end up here as well.

Within minutes of our arrival, the bird appeared, and before I even picked up my binoculars, there was little doubt in my mind as to what the bird was. Why was it so easy now? Well, seeing the live bird – not just a static photograph – the shape and size was so readily apparent, but that “gestalt” of the bird is so difficult to catch on film. Meanwhile, my biggest hang-up was that forked tail – but from viewing the bird, it seemed that some of its tail feathers were a bit disheveled and simply a few longer, inner tail feathers were bent out over the outermost tail feathers (I think.) The lesson here: it is often not that easy to identify a bird conclusively just from photographs. And that’s why when there are official Bird Records Committees (which Maine is one of the last states to have) often ask for field notes to accompany photographs – no matter how good they are!

After enjoying the Blue Grosbeak and Karl and Nancy’s hospitality for almost an hour, Jeannette and I headed out to spend the rest of our day off birding nearby Reid State Park. Reid is one of those places that is good birding at any time of the year – and often holds a surprise or two. Today was no different. A late female Northern Shoveler was in the creek with American Black Ducks, an adult Bald Eagle flew by, two Purple Sandpipers were on the rocks, Sanderlings were on the beach, and two Common Redpolls flew overhead. But the highlight was a stately Snowy Owl roosting on the rocky island just off of Griffith’s Head. Not to often you get to see a Snowy Owl and a Blue Grosbeak in the same day!