Found a couple of Blue Grosbeaks in the tall grass areas of Shiloh Mountain; taken with a Canon 50D with a 400mm f/5.6 lens:
They return to breed every summer but seemed late this year. They can be mistaken for an Indigo Bunting but are twice the size with orange streaks on the wing bars.
Adult Description
- Medium-sized songbird.
- Large silver-gray bill.
- Male deep blue with two brown wingbars.
- Female mostly brown with two brown wingbars.
Male Description
Black in front of eyes extending down to bill. Flight feathers dark brown to black, with blue edging. Breeding (Alternate) Plumage: Blue all over, with brown wingbars. Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: Body blue with brownish feather edges.
Blue Grosbeak (male)
Blue Grosbeak in natural habitat
Female Description
Brown all over, with some blue feathers on back. Flight feathers dark brown to black, with brown edging.
Immature Description
First-year female resembles adult female, with even less blue on the upperparts. First-year male, through the first full summer of life, shows plumage intermediate between that of adult female and adult male, with variable amounts of blue mixed with brown.
Life and Wildlife along the Little Buffalo River 
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