With its striking appearance, the rose-breasted grosbeak leaves a lasting impression. This painting invites you to recall a moment when something new in nature first caught your attention.
I still remember the moment I saw a rose-breasted grosbeak for the very first time.
It was spring of 2014, the first year I had ever put out a bird feeder and kept it filled.
It attracted more species than I could have imagined. Birds of all sizes and colors.
As I was watching the steady flow of birds, something new landed among them, and stayed long enough for me to really take it in. It was a male rose-breasted grosbeak.
My backyard was full of action that year. The feeder hung from a pole within view of my kitchen, in an open yard lined with trees. I kept it filled with songbird mix and sunflower seeds. Birds came in from all directions, taking turns. There was often so much movement, it was surprising they didn’t bump into each other mid-flight.
Each bird had its own way of using the feeder. Some would grab a single seed and quickly fly off. Others stayed and ate their fill. Some hopped on the ground, devouring the seeds others tossed aside.
The grosbeak became a regular visitor, along with cardinals, sparrows, finches, nuthatches, woodpeckers, blue jays, cowbirds, mourning doves, juncos, red-winged blackbirds, and more.
I enjoyed all the birds, but the grosbeak always felt extra special.
This painting brings me back to that first sighting, and to that season when I began to recognize how many different species were right outside my door. Watching the birds became something I looked forward to every day.
Jackie Foster Art 