Bog Attraction
4 x 4 inches - Oil on Panel Like the Golden-winged Warbler (3 posts before this one), the Evening Grosbeak has also been given the unfortunate distinction as being a tipping point species. It is a bird that has lost half of its population in the past 50 years and is on track to lose another half if nothing changes in the next 50 years. "It's unknown what's causing the decline – disease, climate change, shifts in land use, some combination of those, or a different factor that scientists have yet to uncover."(1) This bird is an irruptive species whereby in certain years, it will appear in erratic numbers far south of its normal range. It also has a unique survival technique that is beneficial during harsh winters. Their esophagus contains an extension called an esophageal diverticula (a pouch) that's used to store whole seeds which are later regurgitated, broken up, and swallowed as food when needed. Sightings of the Evening Gros...