By 10:00 AM I was convinced the entire states of Illinois and Missouri were gaslighting me.
It was a rainy April morning, and apparently Illinois and Missouri had been designated a five-star resort for migrating Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, except for my backyard.
I opened my email to:
“AOR & RBGR showed at my feeders this morning to add welcome splashes of color and sound on a dreary looking day.”
I opened Facebook to:
“Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have arrived in St. Clair County”
“Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are here!”
“Didn’t get a picture, but I saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on my feeder this morning! 😍”
I looked out my window at my feeders. They were busy with the usual suspects. Bickering European Starlings, a sopping wet Blue Jay, cranky Cardinals, and vocal woodpeckers. Where were my Rose-breasted Grosbeaks?
I checked my feeders. I checked them again. I stood at my window, clutching a mug of coffee, feeling like the unpopular kid in school who didn’t get invited to the "Rosy Party.”
I left the house to go birding at Tower Grove Park. Everyone was talking about the Grosbeaks showing up at their feeders. Some had even spotted a few high up in the trees at Gaddy Garden. I still couldn’t find one. After an afternoon of birding I headed home and checked my feeders again. No Grosbeaks.
By 3:00 PM, I was plotting. Do I need better sunflower seeds? Should I wear a red shirt? Maybe I should put out a sign that says "Grosbeaks Welcome: Free Buffet.”
By 4:00 PM, I had officially entered the “bitter” phase of birding. I started composing a cynical Facebook post. Was I to become a sparrow feeding Hermit? Then my phone notified me that Haiku heard a new bird…..a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I checked the feeders in the back and searched all around Hope Springs. No Grosbeak. I walked to the front and looked out the front door. With trembling hands I raised my binoculars and looked at the feeders in the front tree, and there on the middle feeder, sitting with an air of absolute superiority were two male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks!
I did a quiet little happy dance that probably looked like a mix of the chicken dance and a frantic aerobics move from the 80s. I grabbed my camera and took a photo thinking to myself, now I finally get to post my own rosy update.
#BirdingProblems #RosyDay”
Lisa Saffell, St. Louis
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The Missouri Birding Society's Wild Bird Discussion Forum
