Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Don Valley

[Ed O'Connor]

At Todmorden Mills this afternoon, I saw two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks--a female and a juvenile--working through a stand of deciduous trees by the big pond. I assume there's a nest somewhere in the woods nearby. I know this species breeds in woodlots around the city but don't think I've ever noticed them so close to the city core in mid-July.

Out of curiosity, I looked the species up on the Cornell site, All About Birds. According to the North American Breeding Survey, numbers of these birds have decreased by about 35 percent since 1966. For this reason if no other, it's good to see some evidence of breeding success so close to home.

[BetCrooks]

I saw one of the pairs at Riverwood in Mississauga accompanied by at least 2 almost adult fledglings. They can end up with some really odd colourings as they grow in their adult feathers.

[Ally]

Hi, I live by Berry Creek and Humber River.
I have a male and a female rose breasted grosbeak came to feed on my feeder last week.

 

At Todmorden Mills this afternoon, I saw two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks--a female and a juvenile--working through a stand of deciduous trees by the big pond. I assume there's a nest somewhere in the woods nearby. I know this species breeds in woodlots around the city but don't think I've ever noticed them so close to the city core in mid-July.

Out of curiosity, I looked the species up on the Cornell site, All About Birds. According to the North American Breeding Survey, numbers of these birds have decreased by about 35 percent since 1966. For this reason if no other, it's good to see some evidence of breeding success so close to home.

[Ed O'Connor]

Cool. Obviously, there's an established breeding population in the Toronto area. The nests themselves are a point of interest. In his book on nests of the eastern U.S. (a true masterpiece, by the way), Hal Harrison notes that the nests of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak are so thinly constructed you can often see the eggs from below. He also says the male and female take turns incubating the eggs, and they both sing while sitting on the nest. Then he tells a little story.

He found one of these nests in the fork of a rhodendron bush in Pennsylvania. When he took it home and deconstructed it, he discovered the nest contained exactly 757 twigs that ranged in length from one to five inches. I'm not sure what amazes me more: the ingenuity of the bird or the fascination that drove the man to count and measure every single stick in the nest.