Thoroughly enjoying this thread! Susan, were you able to go to Barbados as
the Purple-shouldered Birder?
I got my first Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Shaw Nature Reserve (June 5, 2010)
and then in Forest Park, about a week later. It was more than a decade ago,
but I still remember the thrill! A story with no spice to it at all...very
sad, considering that I belong to a land of spices!
Cheers, Deepa.
On Sat, Apr 25, 2026 at 5:58 AM Susan Eaton <
<0000066c07c307f2-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Okay, I will share my Rose-breasted Grosbeak story. Many years ago, a late
> freeze had killed the tender little buds in the tops of trees, so the
> Grosbeaks were venturing down to feeders all over St. Louis. I watched
> females at my feeders for several days, between bouts of rain. One morning
> the sun was shining, so I grabbed my binoculars and bird book and started
> down the deck steps. The steps are on the north side of the house…little
> did I know they were slick from the rain. I took a nasty fall, hurt my left
> shoulder and had nasty contusions on my left hip and knee.
>
> We spent hours in the ER to learn I had broken a little bony protuberance
> in my left shoulder. I went home with my left arm immobilized in sling and
> strap. I was awakened very early the next morning by severe pain. I
> remember I cried because of pain and the fact that our Barbados trip was a
> week away, and I was purple from shoulder to elbow. I ate something, took a
> pain pill and looked out at the feeders. And there was my MALE
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak, in all his glory! That was the only time I’ve had
> them in my yard.
>
> Susan Eaton
> <Susiede...>
> St Louis CO MO
>
> On Fri, Apr 24, 2026 at 6:02 PM Lisa Saffell <
> <0000065c370fac8c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
>> The Great Rose-breasted Grosbeak Conspiracy
>>
>>
>> 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
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> *The Missouri Birding Society's Wild Bird Discussion Forum*
>> Archives <https://lists.umsystem.edu/scripts/wa-UMS.exe?A0=MOBIRDS-L> / Subscription
>> options
>> <https://lists.umsystem.edu/SCRIPTS/wa-UMS.exe/wa?SUBED1=mobirds-l&A=1> >> / MBS Website <http://mobirds.org> / Email the list owners
>> <mobirds-l-request...>
>>
>> ABA Birding Code of Ethics <http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html> >>
>> MBS Spring Meeting: 125th Anniversary - May 1-3, 2026, Drury Plaza Hotel,
>> Chesterfield, MO
>>
> ------------------------------
> *The Missouri Birding Society's Wild Bird Discussion Forum*
> Archives <https://lists.umsystem.edu/scripts/wa-UMS.exe?A0=MOBIRDS-L> / Subscription
> options
> <https://lists.umsystem.edu/SCRIPTS/wa-UMS.exe/wa?SUBED1=mobirds-l&A=1> / MBS
> Website <http://mobirds.org> / Email the list owners
> <mobirds-l-request...>
>
> ABA Birding Code of Ethics <http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html> >
> MBS Spring Meeting: 125th Anniversary - May 1-3, 2026, Drury Plaza Hotel,
> Chesterfield, MO
>
------------------------------------------------------------
The Missouri Birding Society's Wild Bird Discussion Forum
