Pine Grosbeak
FTLComm - Weekes - Wednesday, March 10, 2004
The Pine Grosbeak can be found throughout the boreal forests of North America which means you could see them in Alaska, down through the rocky mountain range to central southeastern California, Arizona and New Mexico. They like to winter on the Great Central Plains of the continent. They will be in conifer forests during the winter and mixed wood at other times of the year. The picture at the top of the page shows both a male in his snappy red outfit and the female who can vary from a gray to this dull yellow cast on her head and back. These are the largest of all "finches" and are part of that family because of their diet and that distinctive stout bill. From these pictures it is hard to relate to their size but they are just smaller than a Robin. These pictures also contain a bunch of Common Red Poles who are also members of the "finch" family. These little guys come South for the winter and are found at this time of the year almost all over Saskatchewan. Their summer home is found from southern Alaska across to Great Slave Lake and even into Northern B.C. But since they like the Pine Grosbeak like the bush they also make their homes along the Rocky Mountains all the way to California. The alpine climate is pretty much the same as the scrubby bush of the North. Both species are seed and fruit eaters although they enjoy some insects as well. Mrs. Lindenbach is seen in the short video clip refilling her feeders at her farm house northeast of Weekes. To see the images below just click on them to see them in the full ten inch size. (If the video clip does not show you may need to download the latest version of QuickTime, we keep the most recent version on our machine and so it generates its material in the latest version.)
			Timothy W. Shire
Return to Ensign - Return to Saskatchewan News   This page is a story posted on Ensign and/or Saskatchewan News, both of which are daily web sites offering a variety of material from scenic images, political commentary, information and news. These publications are the work of Faster Than Light Communications . If you would like to comment on this story or you wish to contact the editor of these sites please send us email.   Editor : Timothy W. Shire Faster Than Light Communication Box 1776, Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, S0E 1T0 306 873 2004