Many years ago I listed a male Rose Breasted Grosbeak on the local Humboldt Bay rare bird hot list. It was only the 3rd or 4th time it had been sighted in north western California...
We have a lot of bird species here now that weren’t around when I was a kid. Probably a variety of reasons.
In southern Nevada, a few rose-breasted grosbeaks are seen every year, but usually females or first year birds.
Now here's a twist for you. Humboldt Bay is well known for black brant, but if you can believe it, I made a black brant sighting at Desert Natl Wildlife Refuge in Clark County (Corn Creek Field Station) last spring. The bird, sadly, was confined to a very small pond and appeared to have a broken wing. Needless to say, it caused quite a sensation in Nevada birding circles. But sadly again, a week later, the bird was found dead.
How a brant with a broken wing ended up there is anyone's guess.
But a singularly beautiful bird!