Subject: [Tweeters] Yellow-headed Blackbird at Union Bay Natural
Date: May 19 12:21:43 2007
From: Brett Wolfe - m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


Hiya tweets,

I bird so often at the Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA) that I seldom remember to bring a field guide anymore. Today was one of those days. And normally, I'd be extatic to be the only person at UBNA. Today however, it became very annoying because there was an odd-ball bird.

First impression I had was aberrant Yellow-headed Blackbird (YHBL). At 10:14am, I spotted the bird in the open ball field to the west of UBNA, foraging on the ground with some Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings and American Robins. The bright yellow breast immediately caught my eye, but this was NOT a "black" bird; it was brown. Here is what I wrote down:
"Brown bird-size of Brown-headed Cowbird (BHCO) or Yellow-headed Blackbird (YHBL) - Yellow breast up to lower face, dark eyes (mask-like), and brown crown same color as back and body".

I first tried calling the only real "birders" in my phone book, Denis DeSilvis & Gene Hunn. Genes phone has apparently changed, but Denis was able to call me back with some other numbers. I was walking around UBNA, but there wasn't a single other person out there for nearly an hour. I tried everyone on the list, but no one was around - I'll bet you were all out birding, huh? Who'da thunk it!

Relocated the bird two more times, and on the 4th relocation (it was on the open ballfield, and each of the two ballfields surrounded by fences - all west of UBNA) had two other folks with me. Kit Deifenbach (sp?) and a young man named Colin were both birders, and we all got at least a couple of looks.

To me, it looks like a female YHBL. In Sibley's, the drawing is kinda crappy, but that is most what it looks like. The bird at UBNA has an extremely bright breast and face, I'm talking male-type brightness, but it definitely doesn't extend over the top of the head - the crown is brown like the body. It could be a young male, but looked more like the female picture, only far more brilliantly colored.

Anyway, the last time I saw the bird myself was at about 11:48am this morning. Good luck relocating it. My only question is: Where the heck were all of the folks who normally bird UBNA, like Connie Sidles or Matt Bartels? Probably off chasing birds in Kent or on the coast I guess..I need more phone numbers in my book in case this ever happens again...Thanks though to Denis DeSilvis for helping me with phone numbers and stuff. At first, I didn't know if it was an aberrant YHBL or a once-in-a-lifetimer, ya know?

Good birding y'all! This is a great bird for UBNA and King County both!

Brett A. Wolfe
Seattle, WA
m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


---------------------------------
Get your own web address.
Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.