Brown-Headed Cowbird

I decided today that I should come through for you. One day I showed you a mystery blackbird. Then we came to the consensus that the bird was a brown-headed cowbird, even though it was difficult to identify it. So what did I do? The very next day I brought you the bird that it wasn't, the common grackle. So today I thought maybe I should show you some better pictures of the right bird, this brown-headed cowbird.

I've actually had these pictures for about a month. Time just kept slipping away, and they became older and older. But now I have a good reason to finally bring them to you. This bird comparison has really been fun for me, and educational too. That's the best kind of fun.

Before I saw that mystery bird, I was under the impression that we only had one kind of blackbird around here, the red-winged blackbird. Now I know that there are at least three kinds here, and many other related birds. There are a lot of other types of blackbird, but those live elsewhere, maybe in your neighborhood.

When I originally found this cowbird, I kept thinking I recognized it. It wasn't that I ever saw one before, but it was because I saw pictures of them while doing research on other birds. So finding out about one bird lead to my knowledge about this one. Learning can be like an avalanche. You start out with something small, but then it keeps rolling along. And before you know it, you have learned a lot more than you ever expected.

Now I can look at animals that I've never really seen before, and I know almost instinctively what they are. It gets easier every day, and all I have to do is go out and enjoy nature. I still make some mistakes along the way, but that's the best way to learn. Now I can point out so many different things to people, but I started out with almost no knowledge of nature at all. Anyone can do this. All you have to do to get started is go out and breath the fresh air.

Nature Center Magazine today features a new idea! Today is the debut of Nature Tales, a brand new feature we will do from time to time that consists of nature related fictional stories. Anyone can join in and write a story. The first one is from an all new contributor, Steve, from the blog, Out On The Prairie. Take a look, and then follow the links back to Steve's blog.