Northern Treasures!

Backyard Feeder Birds:

Ninety minutes was spent "staking out" a backyard feeder in hopes of a rarity that didn't appear. However, many other feeder birds were found. Adult male Evening Grosbeaks are yellow and black birds with a prominent white patch in the wings. Females and immatures are mostly gray, with white and black wings.

Evening Grosbeaks are large, robin-sized finches with very thick, powerful, conical bills. They have a thick neck, full chest, and relatively short tail. 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id

They eat sunflower seeds and are also attracted to the seeds, berries and buds of trees and shrubs, especially Maple Trees. They are fairly large birds that often travel in sizeable flocks. If you wish to attract them to your yard, they prefer platform feeders.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/overview

With their enormous bills, Evening Grosbeaks can crush seeds that are too large for Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins to open. These smaller birds often seek out the grosbeaks and eat food scraps left behind.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/overview

The size and sluggish behaviour of Pine Grosbeaks makes spotting one in a tree easier than finding many other finch species.

In winter, Pine Grosbeaks are often found at bird feeders, but they also like to eat grit along roadsides near open, evergreen forests.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Grosbeak/overview

The Canada Jay stores large quantities of food for later use. In the fall, it uses saliva to stick food high in tree branches which will remain above the snow depth throughout the winter. This food storage habit may allow Canada Jays to survive in the northern winters.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Jay/overview

Canada Jays have incredibly thick, fluffy plumage that puffs up in cold weather, enveloping the legs and feet. Even the nostrils are covered with feathers.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Jay/overview

A Blue Jay also made an appearance at the food source.

Hairy Woodpecker: The long beak is visible which helps to separate it from the Downy Woodpecker.

While waiting for birds to show up at the feeder, other birds in the area were photographed, including several Pigeons.