hesperiphona (hesperios, at eventide, and phone, voice) vespertina (belonging to evening)
Monday, May 28, 1979 — 2:00 pm
Boulder Junction, Wisconsin
I spotted these birds outside an antique store, which was located in downtown (I use the term loosely) Boulder Junction. Feeders were scattered in a jack pine grove, and the Evening Grosbeaks were scattered around the feeders.
This was my first “exotic.” When my mom told me I might see Evening Grosbeaks, I had no idea what they were. I had to look them up in a field guide before I went.
Within the next few months, I became obsessed with birding and read the guides over and over. In consequence, there were only two or three other times that I saw birds that I was totally unfamiliar with.