Pine grosbeaks, always willing (pic included)

[Steve Foss]

In winter up here, find a stand of black ash in the lowlands, and you're likely to find pine grosbeaks harvesting the ash seeds.

Here are a pair from Lake Jeanette today, a ways up the Echo Trail.

Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L IS at 400mm, iso200, 1/160 at f8, handheld

[jonny_redhorse]

Beautiful photo Steve!....and the pine grosbeaks tend to be very unafraid of us humans.....Last week I drove up to 3 females apparently picking at gravel on a side road ....they let me "inch" my truck up to within about 3 feet of em allowing me to roll down the window and get a few pics of em.....even then they seemed unaffraid being only 3' or so from my drivers side door...truly amazing!...I just wish I could have captured the red males ..(and yes,these females were adjacent to an ash, highgrass, swamp)

[Tom Wilson]

A little dark Steve, but a great habitat shot. Those sure are pretty little birds. I've never seen one.

God bless,

Tom W