A group of yellow, black and white birds is vying for positions on a bird feeder full of sunflower seeds. In contrast to my other avian diners, who immediately start feeding when I replenish the feeders, Evening Grosbeaks spend a lot of time in the birch trees near the deck, making a great deal of noise and apparently deciding whether it’s safe to descend to the feeding stations. Eventually, they start moving from upper branches to lower branches, and then finally one or two birds (almost always females) will make a move to the sunflower seeds, starting a frantic rush as the others descend on the food. These large, cantankerous birds aggressively defend their feeding spaces. Fighting is particularly common when the birds are competing with their flock mates over black oil sunflower seeds, which are a grosbeak favorite.

The alternate #birdoftheday theme is #feedingfrenzy. Here’s a group of hungry and impatient #EveningGrossbeaks squabbling for sunflower seeds on our deck. Lake Placid, NY, (21 December 2025). wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-b...

#birds #backyardbirding