Black-headed Grosbeak

We spent four days in Olympia, Septemper 17-20. Upon our arrival, the weatherman predicted four days of rain. On top of that, this trip was a grandchild visit. My worries of a dearth of birds was for naught. First, rain is an off and on event in the Pacific Northwest—it comes and goes. The weather for most of our visit was quite pleasant. The grandchildren, for their part, happily survived birding trips with grandpa.

Our first morning, however, was wet. A young-looking Black-headed Grosbeak fed at the kid’s feeder. To my surprise, eBird flagged this species as rare, requiring either written or photographic confirmation. I ran out to the car for my camera. The patio window was made of such poor glass that decent pictures were impossible. This image was taken through a screen in front of an open window. The travails of an eBirder! I will try not to burden you with further “screen shots." Meanwhile, I have asked eBird why these birds are considered rare. As far as I can tell, the species should not be that rare in Olympia. The species is, however, absent after September.