Subject: Great-tailed Grackle at Stanwood
Date: Jan 9 19:48:42 2001
From: Eugene Hunn - enhunn at Home.com


Ian & Tweets,

The seed company building is quite an attraction for blackbirds and
starlings, plus the grackle. The most direct route is to turn north off SR
532 onto Pioneer Highway (just before the final descent into downtown
Stanwood), go a short distance north on Pioneer Hwy. to Cameron, turn left
down the hill to the railroad tracks. The seed company building is on the
left (south) just east of the rr tracks and just before the junction with
Florence.

The grackle appears certainly to be a male Great-tailed because the back and
breast are uniform iridescent purplish blue; a duller metallic greenish on
the folded wings. The bill is quite heavy, with a distinct downturn at the
tip. It appears to be approximately twice the length of the starlings and
perhaps a shade less than double the length of male Brewer's Blackbirds.
This fits with Sibley's note that the far-western populations (Arizona, S.
California) are 15% shorter but longer-billed than the eastern (Texas)
populations. The crown is quite flat from the front of the eye to the nape,
again suggestive of Great-tailed rather than Boat-tailed.

Gene Hunn.

----- Original Message -----
From: "ian paulsen" <ipaulsen at linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us>
To: "Eugene Hunn" <enhunn at home.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 11:27 AM
Subject: Re: Great-tailed Grackle at Stanwood


> HI Gene:
> Do you have directions to the seed company?
>
> Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen
> Bainbridge Is., WA, USA
> ipaulsen at linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us
> "Rallidae all the way"
>
>
>