Rusty Blackbird

 Euphagus carolinus

Appearance: 

Medium-sized blackbird

Pale yellow eye

Slender, slightly decurved bill

Male (breeding):

     Glossy black

 Male (non-breeding):

     Rusty feather edges 

     Bold eyebrow

Female :

    Grey-brown

    Rusty feather edges

    Bold eyebrow

    Darker feathers around eye

Listen to its call. 

With a new year upon us and COVID making it difficult to do much else, I've decide to ramp up my birding a bit.  Friday netted me a distant view of a Wilson's Snipe and a Black Phoebe in Central Saanich.  This afternoon, I made a trip to King's Pond in search of a Rusty Blackbird that has been hanging about lately  Happily, I located it in a large flock of Brewer's Blackbirds that flew in to partake of the bird seed liberally scattered on the ground by the many families enjoying the sunshine. 

Learn more about the Rusty Blackbird. 

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Appearance:
Medium-sized blackbird
Long, pointed, conical, black bill 
Male:
   Black body
   Bright yellow head and breast
   Black face mask
   Distinct white wing patches
Female:
  Grayish-brown body
  Dull yellow head and breast
Immature male:
  Similar to female
  Dark smudging on yellow head
  Some white at bend of wing

Listen to its call. 

I took a short walk on the Galey Farms trail by Blenkinsop Lake today and spotted this bird in a field among a large flock of Red-Winged Blackbirds and Starlings.  Another was perched on a wire with hundreds of other birds of similar size and shape.  Luckily for me, they stood out in the crowd.

Learn more about the Yellow-headed Blackbird. 

Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

 
Appearance:
Small blackbird
Short, conical bill
Dark eyes
Male: (above)
   Iridescent black body, wings and tail
   Brown head and neck
Female:
   Greyish-brown plumage, lightest on the head and underparts
   Fine streaking on belly

Listen to its call.

If you believe all of the greeting cards, Mother's Day should be spend taking it easy, perhaps sleeping late and enjoying a relaxing breakfast in bed. So, why then was I already out at Michell's Farm Market by 7:30 this morning? Generally, the best time for bird watching is early in the morning when most birds are wide awake and active. Since early morning isn't the best time to find teenagers awake and active (at least not in my house), I decided to join the birds. I saw a group of these birds on Dooley Road foraging for seeds under a bird feeder.

Learn more about the Brown-headed Cowbird.

More photos:
 

female

male

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Appearance:
Long tail
Round head
Sharply pointed beak
Males :

    Glossy black all over

    Iridescent head
    Yellowish-white eyes
Females:
    Dull gray-brown
    Dark eyes

Listen to its call.



A couple of questions came to mind when I found out the name of this bird. First, who is Brewer? Second, why is it called cyanocephalus when its head is black and not blue? And finally, why would anyone bake four-and-twenty blackbirds in a pie? I managed to find the answers to the first two questions. First, Audubon named this bird after his friend and fellow ornithologist, Thomas Brewer. Second, the male's head has a bluish-purple sheen to it in sunlight. Finally, although my last question remains unanswered, it reminded me of something very odd (and rather disturbing) I saw years ago at a market in southern France. Let's just say that baking whole birds in pastry isn't just something you read about in nursery rhymes and leave it at that.  No need for all of us to lose our appetites.

Learn more about the Brewer's Blackbird.

European Starling

Sturnis vulgaris

Appearance:
Long, slender yellow bill
Long throat feathers
Short tail
Pink legs and feet
Summer: (below)
Purple and green iridescent
Winter:
Brown with white spots

Listen to its calls.

Common as these birds may be, I'd never seen one until today. I had the impression that starlings were large, and black. I seem to have been wrong on both counts. This bird was smaller than the robins sharing our neighbour's lawn with it and, although it looked black from a distance, close up it was actually brown stipled with white spots.




Learn more about the European Starling.

Additional photos:

juvenile 

 

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus



Appearance:

Male:
    Black overall
    Red and yellow band on wing
Female:                                                                       
    Streaky and brown overall
    Dark brown streaks on breast
    Buff throat
    Whitish eyebrow

Listen to its song.

I photographed these birds earlier this week at Swan Lake. There was a large flock of them crowding around one of the feeders. With only one male among about a dozen females, there was a definite imbalance of the sexes. The male sat in the branches of a tree watching while the females ate their fill. Perhaps he was feeling a bit outnumbered or maybe he was just keeping an eye on his mates. Talk about your polygynous relationships!

Learn more about the Red-winged Blackbird.

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Appearance:
Dark-streaked brown upperparts
Bright yellow underparts
Broad black V on breast
White flanks, streaked with black
Brown-and-white striped crown
Bright yellow line over the eye
Sharply pointed bill
Short, brown tail with white edges
Colours are duller in winter

Listen to its song.

This bird was perched on a bush, surveying a grassy field. It looked like he was standing guard, protecting his territory. I initially thought this was some kind of varied thrush because of its size and shape. However, the coloring was wrong. Although I didn't get a full frontal view of this bird, I'm pretty sure I've identified it correctly.

Learn more about the Western Meadowlark.