Monday, May 3, 2010

A Strange Black Bird

I found a strange oddity of a bird the other day while out on my usual hike and nature hunt. Actually, I had an eventful day that includes some news I have for you. But I'll tell you about that part after I talk about this odd bird.

There is a huge problem with this bird. The problem is that I'm not sure what it is! It seems to be some kind of blackbird, but it doesn't quite match any blackbird related birds around here. Even though you can't see it in these pictures, it doesn't have the red shoulder feathers of a red-winged blackbird. And the color is just not quite right for that one either.

The next bird I looked at was the common grackle, another type of blackbird. That one seems close but the eyes look like the wrong color. A grackle's eyes are yellow, but this bird has black eyes. And again the color isn't quite right.This bird seems to be a duller black than either one of the first two birds. The common grackle also has a dark blue head, but I don't see that on this bird.

Let's move on to the next.

The next bird I tried was the brown-headed cowbird, another kind of blackbird. So far this is the closest looking bird I can find to the one in the pictures. The eye color, the beak, and even the body color seems to match. A problem though is the color of the head. Just like the name says, that bird is brown-headed. I've seen brown-headed cowbirds before, and this bird's head is too dark.

So what can I conclude by all of this? The only conclusion I have is that I'm not sure at all what kind of bird I have here. My guess would be that it's a brown-headed cowbird with a dark head. Maybe the light and the angle is fooling me a little bit. I'm not sure. What do you think?

On to a few unrelated matters. Do you remember the crippled deer I featured last week? I was talking to somebody who has also seen this same deer, in several places. I was told that this deer has been like that since at least last winter. I was also told that the deer has been seen running just like any other deer. It may be crippled, but it gets around just fine.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I've been having a lot of time management problems lately. It seems like as soon as I get started doing anything, I soon find that the day is over with. So I haven't been on the internet very much for the past week. I'm hoping time will slow down a little bit for me so I can catch up with your blogs, but I still haven't figured out why my time has gotten so short. I think my brain needs a reset. Yup, I said reset, not rest (a bad joke).

Nature Center Magazine - Today's feature is Cool Nature Videos. In this week's video we will take a look at the Venus Flytrap, my favorite carnivorous plant.

15 comments:

  1. I'm not sure what kind of a bird it is either but you got some great shots of him Ratty. I'm sure someone will recognize him.

    Great shots of the Cardinal in the post below too, that's one I never see here. I know what you mean about the time problems, we just have to do the best we can.

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  2. As far as I'm aware we have just a 'Blackbird' in the uk and I had no idea that there were so many different species in the states so i really can't help you with this one at all Ratty....if you find out for sure please let us know!!

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  3. I have no idea what it is..Hope someone will identify it :)

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  4. I'm pretty sure this is a cow bird, and the light makes the head appear darker. The beak is the tell-tale signal here. I could be wrong, will be interested to see what others have to say.

    Good new on the deer!

    Bill:www.wildramblings.com

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  5. I think it is a Cowbird because of the short bill. It is good to hear that the Deer is able to run. I liked your joke.:)

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  6. It looks like a cowbird to me. The brown seems clear in the second photo.

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  7. If our brain can be reset, what will be reset and forever be lost.

    Data not found!

    This is bad.

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  8. Maybe it is a cowbird and just a little different color. Couldn't birds have a little tiny bit of variety in colors?? I sure don't know what bird it is.

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  9. I'm no good at identifying birds so I can't be of any help. That is good news about the deer though. Oh and congrats on winning the contest over at My quality day.

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  10. It's a chubby version of Crow I guessed? :P
    Time management is always my issue too :(

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  11. I think that is a female cowbird, Ratty. And don't worry about making the blog rounds--I'm m.i.a. myself this week. Not enough hours in the day!

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  12. I love these "identify the bird" posts - I am learning so much! One of these days I'll know enough to actually narrate an episode of Bird TV as we all sit by the window!

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  13. You're still better than me in identify some of the birds. I just called them "bird"..Great pictures!

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  14. Don't push the reset button, Ratty, I like you just the way you are!

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  15. The first time seeing a black bird with that kinda dull colour. The black birds we see here are almost always crows and cuckoos. And it's really tough identifying birds too, cuz even within the same species they tend to wear different colors and fashions. =D

    And it's really nice to hear about the deer, that it's been doing fine all this time. I guess nature itself gives them strength to survive, a lot more than we could imagine.

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