[CT Birds] Vermont Pine Grosbeaks

[Katz1449 at aol.com]

>From Bev Propen  12/1
 
We are in Stowe Vermont this weekend and I saw my first Pine  Grosbeaks-3  
adult males and 1 immature male- feeding on some  type of orange berries off the 
side of the road.  I am glad I had my  Peterson's and binoculars in the car  
(I am learning).
I have to thank my husband for having patience with me.  I stopped  short on 
a snowy road, backed up on the snowy road (there is almost 1 foot  of snow up 
here), yelling,
"Oh my gosh, what cool birds....I have never seen those before". I  thought 
possibly white winged crossbills, but I saw the bills were not  crossed. After 
identifying  red wash on face, neck, belly and  2  white wing bars and 
blackish gray wings, and kinda forked blackish tails, robin  size   and the immature 
one having a reddish, brownish head and  gray overall color...my husband is 
writing all this down as I am telling him the  markings that I am noticing, I 
found the illustration of the Pine Grosbeaks  very clearly in Peterson's.
A thanks goes to Frank Gallo too for his Birding 101 and Birding 201  classes 
where I learned how and what to look for, and to always keep  birding guides 
and bins in my car.



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