Here I am tonight looking over my tweeters posting and I started to read one
from Richard Rowlett titled white-faced ibis/tricolored blackbird. HE IS
RIGHT ON in his description of tricolored blackbird. I to lived with the
birds in California. I mean lived with them, at one tome I lived 1/2 mile
from a 2-3 thousand nesting colony where their forging area was a mile from
my house in the opposite direction. Needless to say they flew over the
house constantly. Those who have experienced the noise knows. Anyway this
is where I am leading to. Folks often ask me how do you identify a
tricolored blackbird. I find it impossible to describe, BUT one thing I
always say is "if you are trying to make the blackbird in front of you a
tricolored it's NOT" I hope Richard does not mind I cut and pasted a part
of his message. Richard I could not have said it any better and I have
tried!

My experience with Tricolored Blackbirds to date has always been in
California and I have *always* been impressed even way back as a beginner
birder 35 years ago when I was anticipating my first Tricolored Blackbirds
as something probably challenging or at least more subtle but was startled
to notice how neat, trim, crisp, and distinctive that species really is
compared to a Red-winged. If you ever have to struggle and try to turn a
Red-winged into a Tricolored, it's a Red-winged. A Tricolored Blackbird
just leaps out of the pack as something superficially similar but strikingly
different.

Thanks Richard

Bob Flores
Othello, WA