Hello Tweeters ,
First i must thank Dennis Paulson who worked hard to help identify the
Mystery Black Bird at the Auburn Supermall.I myself was not so covinced
about the ID of this bird.But the Photos what Dennis as specimen put on the
Web-site,convinced me cotmpletly that we did not dealing here with a
Great-tailed Grackle.Alone this big long bill ,and it is twice the lenght of
the bird i photographed.Also the female Grackle have a more slender
appearance than the bird in Auburn ,what had a big short and heavy body.
I wonder what would happen if i would not have taken my photos and show them
to Dennis Paulson? I urge any birder out there who birds much alone to get a
camera to confirm the birds they find on their own.This here is a good
example how we all made the mistake,not seeing this species that often and
than being a female made this twice as hard and reading about the "nelsoni"
subspecies and also what Don Roberson's good write up posted by Dave
Beaudette onto Tweeters and in "Western Birds" described with beeing so much
smaler,still can not turn this bird in to a Grackle.The Bill covinced me of
this.I also wonder that no birders made any comment's of the Great-tailed
Grackle photos what Dennis Paulson put on to tweeters.


Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma