Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) Male photos by Larry Jordan
It’s official, the American Birding Association (ABA) announced their Bird of the Year for 2012. It is the Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)! I was lucky enough to have several of these beauties grace my yard just about a year ago. The portrait above is one of the males from last March before reaching full breeding plumage.
Personally, I think this is a great choice for several reasons. Number one is that they are gorgeous birds with bright colors. They are a rather large finch that should be easily identifiable. And three, they are gregarious and visit bird feeders!
Here are a couple of photos of the female and male in their breeding plumage when they returned to visit my yard at the end of May last year. Click on photos for full sized images.
Evening Grosbeak Female
Evening Grosbeak Male
Just a couple of the things that I think are great about the American Birding Association (ABA) are its commitment to birding ethics and its continued efforts to introduce young people to the joy of birding.
The ABA code of ethics begins “Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment, and the rights of others. In any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first.” To me this says everything about this organization. Ethical behavior is especially important in bird conservation and is one of my critical values for joining any organization.
Also, in my opinion, the promotion of youth birders is essential to the survival of our birding passion and the American Birding Association succeeds at this endeavor with all kinds of activities for our young friends.
For interesting facts about Evening Grosbeaks and a list of activities, please visit the 2012 Bird of the Year website.
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Larry, thanks for sharing this. Your photos are awesome! I appreciate your support of the ABA. The link to the ABA code of ethics is one of the hallmarks of the ABA.
Nice shots! Perfect for WBW!
I wish you a happy evening!
Great photos, and a great post!!!
Regards,
Nice captures of an outstanding bird!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
They are beautiful birds, Larry! Lucky you to see them in your yard.
A lovely little bird to see… and it’s nice to hear you have a similar organisation to our RSPB to take care of them..
@Robert thank you for your comment and for putting together this great event for ABA!
@Hans thank you
@Modesto thanks
@Gary thank you very much
@Eileen I feel very privileged to see all the species I see in my yard
@Andrew the ABA is an excellent organization that inspires all people to enjoy and protect wild birds
I certainly agree with the ABA code of ethics ! I also think their choice for bird of the year is Grand!
Larry, you are so blessed to be able to have such beauties visit your yard! Such great news for bird lovers any time they are recognized and the Evening Grosbeak is such a fine species~
They are beautiful!
Hi there – great choice of bird and a great picture.
I only saw Hawfinch (same genus – Coccothraustes) a couple of times in the UK – but they were a remarkable bird – I can see why people would pick a bird form the same genus as a “bird of the year”.
And yes, Pacific Gulls are huge!
Stewart M
Of course your approval of the Evening grosbeak’s big win has nothing to do with the fact you have such terrific pictures of them in your archive!
Seriously, you make some great points about the ethics of bird watching. We would all do well to keep the welfare of our birds first.
Beautiful bird.
Regards and best wishes
They are beautiful birds!
I love your pictures!! I miss my backyard birds very very much…the squirrels won!
I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
but we do have bluebirds nesting…and I see the sparrows already watching!
Love this species. Have not seen it in a very long time! Great choice. Great post!
what a beautiful bird, you got some great close ups!!
fun facts, great post!!
I am so excited to hear this Larry — we used to have these beautiful birds in our backyard when we lived in Oregon!! I love the way you keep us posted — thank http://travelingrainvilles.typepad.com/traveling_home/2012/03/common-buckeye-.htmlyou so much.
A good choice indeed. I like the fact they are so gregarious – friendly I call it.