Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Again this morning I decided not to take binoculars when I went out for a walk, this time because the weather was cool and cloudy with a possibility of light rain. As so often, I immediately regretted this because when I got to the top of our driveway, I heard a squeaking call from high in the pecan tree there. I couldn’t see the bird but there was no question in my mind – it was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a big, especially beautiful songbird. The male is colored dramatically in black, white and rose – a black head and back, white belly, and a patch of rose-red spilling down the chest. Its call is distinct, sounding just like the squeak of a sneaker on a gym floor.
By the time I’d gone back to the house, picked up binoculars and returned, it was too late. I didn’t hear another call and couldn’t find the Grosbeak among the leaves. After only a moment or two of searching, I saw a bird flying from the treetop across the cul de sac and into a deeper wooded area. Alas.