Blue Grosbeak

This - a blue grosbeak - is a bird I have only seen a few times. Ever. Twice on Chapel Springs Lane, which is where I saw him this morning - the other time being a number of years ago now. And I saw one on Assateague once. I saw him land at the tippy top of the tree and sort of thought it was an indigo bunting, but as soon as I pointed my camera at him I knew that wasn't the case! Huge beak and reddish wing bar. And bigger. Whee!

The extra is a collage of one of my phoebes. It looks like s/he was singing at one point, but what actually happened was that s/he hacked something up! An insect stuck in the throat? Anyway - I think the pair is busy feeding young now.