Pictured here is one of the signs of spring I eagerly await each year. For about a week each spring (and again in the fall), my backyard plays host to a few rose-breasted grosbeaks as they make their way further north to their breeding and summer homes (or toward their winter quarters somewhere much further south of here).
I saw a male in my yard Sunday. This photo is from the spring of 2017.
The male is one of the most strikingly beautiful birds in North America; jet black back, snow white front, and that cherry red emblem on its breast. The female looks almost nothing like this; she’s all brown and streaky.