Subject: Weird Red-winged Blackbird (RWBL)
Date: Mar 23 20:32:09 2000
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Greg,
Interesting about this Weird Red-winged Blackbird you saw. I got a
message from a birder in Olympia to go taken photos of a verry striking
Blackbird in East Bay. This was around January the 26th. I went down
twice,but never saw this bird,finding out later this bird was sighted more
less in the mornings. Description as follow:A Red-winged Blackbird,but it
is leucistic or albinistic. Its head appears as a normal red wing but it's
lower breast and belly are all white-yellow. The best part is the tail
which had lot's of white and was reminiscent of a McCowns Longspur's. A
strikingly gorgeous bird. I am sorry now not persue to finding this bird to
taken some photos.This was right when the Arctic Loon and the Lesser-black
backed Gull was reported.But i did go and taken photos of the Hybrid Duck
on Commencement Bay a verry striking Duck between a Common Goldeneye (all
green head) and Bufflehead. Dan Victor will put it on to the Gallery.


Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma
godwit at worldnet.att.net

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From: Greg Toffic <greg.toffic at zoo.org>
To: Hughbirder at aol.com; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Weird Red-winged Blackbird (RWBL)
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2000 12:26 PM

Hugh,
I wonder if this is the same individual I saw on June 7, 1998 at the same
location. I had gone to the prison farm ponds to view the white-faced
ibis, and made a stop at the parking lot at Crescent Lake. The blackbird
was very territorial and would sing from both sides of the lake. It flew
often, back and forth across the lake. From chest to vent it was white
with bold black streaking on the sides of the breast and flanks. The
underside of the tail was mostly white with a black tip. Rump was white.
The innermost tail feathers were black and the outermost tail feathers were
white. But the innermost of the outer tail feathers were black-tipped
giving the appearance of an inverted "T" sort of like a longspur's tail
pattern. I called it into the Birdbox because I was so taken by the
striking appearance of this bird and I suggested that anyone planning to
photograph the ibis should make a stop at the Recreation area to try
photographing the bird. I never heard that anyone did, but it looks like
here's another chance. It's a very striking redwing indeed
Greg Toffic
Seattle

>>> <Hughbirder at aol.com> 03/22 9:16 PM >>>
Joyce Meyer and I were at the south parking lot of Crescent Lake in the Two

Rivers WMA about 4-6 p.m. Wed. afternoon. We were there to show a den of
Cub
Scouts some birds. While there we spotted this aberrant RWBL.

Its song was a normal RWBL's. The bill was typical and it had the red
shoulder patch with a light yellow bar below. It had a solid black head and

throat like a towhee. Its tail was black with white outer tail feathers
like
a towhee. The breast and belly were white with dark vertical streaks
similar
to an immature RWBL. Its back and wings were black with white flecks or
streaking. It had a white rump patch similar to a flicker. It had a dark
eye.
The undertail was a dirty white color. This is the first time either of us
had seen a RWBL that looked like this. We decided it must be an albinistic
type RWBL. Anyone else have any ideas about this bird?

The large group of Bald Eagles in various plumages are still at the farm
which is 1.6 miles north of the Woodinville-Duvall Road along W. Snoqualmie

River Road. We saw 15-20 today.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder at aol.com
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