The distinction between Henry David Thoreau and me is that – thus far – I’ve by no means spent a single night time in jail. Nonetheless, we even have one thing in widespread. We’ve got each seen Pine Grosbeaks and had been impressed by them.
Whereas I noticed them in Internal Mongolia, China on December 24, 2024, his encounter was 173 years earlier, in New England on December 24, 1851 (although most likely that is simply the date he wrote his word): “Noticed additionally some pine grosbeaks, magnificent winter birds, among the many weeds and on the apple timber; like massive catbirds at a distance, however, nearer at hand, a few of them, once they flit by, are seen to have attractive heads, breasts, and rumps (?), with purple or crimson reflections, extra stunning than a gentle shiny purple could be.” (supply: “Notes on New England Birds”, Henry David Thoreau).
He noticed them once more just a few years later: “July 15, 1858. When half-way down the mountain, amid the spruce, we noticed two pine grosbeaks, female and male, shut by the trail, and seemed for a nest, however in useless. They had been remarkably tame, and the male an excellent purple orange,—neck, head, breast beneath, and rump,—blackish wings and tail, with two white bars on wings. (Feminine, yellowish.)”
You may simply inform that he was not too impressed by the feminine (“yellowish” is as faint reward as reward will get), whereas I assumed the feminine was as enticing because the male. Misogyny? Thoreau has certainly been accused of that (supply). Nonetheless, right here, the rationale for our distinction in opinion might be defined by the completely different subspecies. The North American subspecies certainly look yellowish, whereas the one current in Internal Mongolia – Pine Grosbeak (Taiga), Pinicola enucleator leucura) – has a head that’s rather more orange than yellow and contrasts very properly with the largely gray physique of the fowl.
Thankfully for this photographer, Thoreau’s assertion in regards to the species being reasonably tame – his remark “The male flew nearer inquisitively, uttering a low twitter, and perched fearlessly inside 4 ft of us” can be true in Internal Mongolia, permitting first rate photographs of the birds feeding on frozen fruit.
The truth is, the tameness and sluggish motion of Pine Grosbeaks apparently led them to be named “mope” in Newfoundland (for these like me who will not be native English audio system, I’ve seemed it up – the verb “mope” means “really feel dejected and apathetic” whereas a “mope” is “an individual given to extended spells of low spirits”. Finish of English lesson).
Cornell has a optimistic spin on the identical traits: “A big, social, and unwary finch” …
… which sounds higher than eBird’s “Giant, plump finch”.
The scientific identify Pinicola enucleator is extra descriptive. The primary half combines the Latin phrase pinus (“pine tree”) and colere (“to dwell”), thus describing a fowl residing in pines. The second half comes from the Latin enucleare, which means “one who removes the kernel”.
In line with the Finch Community, Pine Grosbeaks are widespread amongst birders (probably even the females): “Pine Grosbeaks are high tier birds–essentially the most fascinating feeder birds for a lot of jap birders with very excessive hopes. The cachet of this circumpolar species comes from the mix of their excessive rarity within the temperate areas, their splendid plumage, and their ringing cheery voices.”
A part of the joy comes from its rarity. In line with Cornell, the Pine Grosbeak is simply an rare winter customer in northern areas of North America.
A paper discusses the rationale for these irruptions. Whereas a typical clarification is that they’re pushed south if meals provides have crashed, the proof is extra in keeping with Pine Grosbeaks shifting south in winters with excessive Rowanberry abundance, exploiting this useful resource till it’s passed by mid-winter.
Thoreau remarked on Pine Grosbeaks yet another time, calling them “massive and carmine, a noble fowl” – pretty much as good an finish as a weblog submit not written by him can get.
