Blue Grosbeak Lifer! 7/03/2023

I met my South Shore Bird Club in Falmouth, MA for a little grassland birding adventure and ended up with two lifers, Grasshopper Sparrow and Blue Grosbeak. We also saw many other birds including Orchard Orioles feeding their fledglings and Eastern Meadowlarks. Preservation of this extensive grassland for many purposes is so key to the survival of these birds as grassland has been the most affected habitat for with a 50% decrease in viable habitat. The Grasshopper Sparrows were everywhere and had such an interesting "buzzy" sound. We wondered if they were named as such because they sounded like a grasshopper or they ate grasshoppers!? It wasn't until the latter part of our walk that we heard the distinct sound of a Blue Grosbeak and someone in the group spotted a male in a tree along with a male Indigo Bunting. Turf wars were going on! It was a pleasure to watch all of the beautiful blue color blending with the green foliage in the middle of a vast field. It wasn't until later doing ebird research that I realized how lucky I was to see this rare Blue Grosbeak.