Yes, Deepa, we went to Barbados. Going through security was tricky because
I couldn’t take off the sling; they had to feel around it. I stayed out of
the ocean and just stood in the pool for short periods of time. I took off
my sling when I walked on the beach, to let my arm hang a little bit. One
day, there was a rastafarian guy sitting on the beach. He said, “I hope
your man didn’t do that! Oh, I see you are still wearing your ring, so I
guess all is well.”
Susan Eaton
<Susiede...>
St Louis CO MO
On Sat, Apr 25, 2026 at 8:21 PM Deepa Mohan <mohandeepa...> wrote:
> 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
>>>
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>> ------------------------------
>> *The Missouri Birding Society's Wild Bird Discussion Forum*
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>> <https://lists.umsystem.edu/SCRIPTS/wa-UMS.exe/wa?SUBED1=mobirds-l&A=1> >> / MBS Website <http://mobirds.org> / Email the list owners
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>>
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