Evening grosbeaks and other outliers visit northern Minnesota
Beautiful northern visitors may show up at feeders this winter.
By Val Cunningham
Special to the Star Tribune
January 26, 2021 — 10:46am
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Q: We observed some beautiful birds at the feeders at our cabin Up North some weeks ago. We'd never seen them before and wonder where they came from.
A: The photo you sent shows evening grosbeaks, which are large, handsome birds with dramatic gold, white and black markings and big beaks. There are many reports of this species being seen at feeders and fruit trees this winter — they've apparently flown down from Quebec to take advantage of tree seeds and fruit in our region. It's good to hear these reports, because evening grosbeaks have been in steep decline since the 1970s. They may have capitalized on several years of spruce budworm outbreaks in Canada and seem to be enjoying a bump in population.