[mou] Blackbirds all in a Yard...

[Holly Peirson]

There was a large, at least a couple of hundred, mixed flock of Brewers and
possibly Rusty Blackbirds in our yard this afternoon for a couple of hours.
I began to notice a lot of noise as I was working on a job here at the
computer. I grabbed my binoculars from the desk in front of me and saw that
the birds all had light eyes, so that narrowed it down a bit. None of them
had longer tails so that narrowed it down further. I watched and listened to
their calls for some time.
Being rusty on my Rusty & Brewer's BB calls, I listened to some CDs and am
almost sure that I heard both voices... I sure could tell a difference in
their plumage, many were very shiny and sleek and iridescent with blue
heads, and some were a scaly brown and quite plump, as I remember Rusty's to
be. I am aware that both species get decidedly more brown in the fall, but
there differences in bird shape, call notes, song.
I live near a wooded marsh, with oak trees all around. They were up in the
trees and seemed to be foraging for acorns, and on the ground also. When
they startled and flew up every few minutes, a large whooshing sound
accompanied them, it was very fun and reminiscent of a large flock of ducks
or geese all taking off at once.
After an hour or so, they swooped off and disappeared...
Holly Peirson
Country Road, Columbus Twnshp, Forest Lake, Anoka Co., MN, USA, Northern
Hemisphere, Earth, Sun's Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy...
Mom & Dad, I hope when you get back online you'll enjoy this post!!