Ah, this is the life: sipping a tasty cup of shade grown coffee while digiscoping a rose breasted grosbeak in gorgeous light:

Mr. Neil has several grosbeaks at the feeders this year--and they are feeding the entire summer long. There have been no orioles nesting this year, but the abundance of rose-breasted grosbeaks more than make up for it. The are becoming braver and more tolerant at the feeders. Typically, they feed off of the trays on safflower and sunflower, but this summer they are feeding quite comfortably on the perches of tube feeders.

Check this out! The dude is hanging upside down just like goldfinches do on an upside down finch feeder--clever boy! Actually, this feeder isn't an upside down feeder, just a copper Aspects tube feeder, so this grosbeak is hanging upside down and leaning back to feed out of a port that's behind him...do you suppose there was a lady grosbeak nearby he was trying to impress? I never cease to be amazed at the adaptability of birds.

I just love this shot--true to grosbeak form, he's cracking a sunflower and you see the little seed husks exploding all around that massive bill. Love it.