Anyone Want to Guess How Many Blackbirds?

The last part of our late February tour of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge took us across the grasslands along the north and east part of the auto-tour. We were met with quite a sight, a huge flock of birds in flight. There were thousands of them, and for the record, I didn't even try to count how many are in the picture above. They were too far away for identification, at least by me (I am open to suggestions), but I would suspect Brewer's Blackbirds, European Starlings, or possibly Red-winged Blackbirds.

A Thanksgiving Feast: Ticks on Elk...Brewer's Blackbirds at Dean Creek

 Well, that was a strange enough sight. We were driving north into Oregon for the holiday weekend, and stopped for a few moments at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area on the Umpqua River near Reedsport. The Roosevelt Elk were there in fair numbers, but one seemed to have some black warts or something (picture below). They turned out to be birds.

At the distance it was hard to tell the species, but I suspect they were Brewer's Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus). The Cornell Bird Site does mention that they will pick bugs off the backs of livestock, but it is possible that they are Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater). I welcome corrections; both species are reported from this location.

As is usually the case, the elk didn't seem to mind having birds walking around on their backs and hindquarters. If the birds were after ticks and that kind of pest, it would be a relief to have the birds working hard to remove them. Still, it was an odd sight.

The Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area is on Highway 38 just two or three miles upstream from the town of Reedsport. Parking is free.

A Not Exactly Black Brewer's Blackbird in Bishop, California

I guess the birds are where you find them. Brewer's Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus) are exceedingly common in my home territory, roosting by the thousands on telephone wires and trees around the city. But it's not all that often that I see one up close.

I was in Bishop, California last weekend on a short break from our geology field studies, enjoying breakfast at the Schatt's Bakery in the middle of town. With outdoor seating, it wasn't much of a surprise to see birds looking for a handout. A Blackbird seemed to own the post behind our table and I got a couple of shots of the iridescent feathers in the morning sunlight. It's obvious that "black" is only kind of an average for the color of this bird...

And the intensity of those eyes...

Surprisingly Colorful Brewer's Blackbird at Mirror Lake in Yosemite Valley

Black is supposed to represent the total absence of color. It's white that can be broken up into the colors of the rainbow and all that. So I don't get quite as excited about totally black birds mainly, it should be said, because they are so hard to photograph. The black swallows color, perspective and depth. My apologies to Ravens and Crows, because I admire them greatly, being the most intelligent of birds. I also need to apologize to the Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) for much the same reason. I see them by the thousands every day swarming over farmyards and cattle fields. They always seemed so totally black and plain.

That was until Sunday when I was walking along the shoreline of Mirror Lake at the upper end of Yosemite Valley. There was just one of them hanging around, and it landed right next to me on a fallen log. It's quickly apparent that up close the male Brewer's Blackbird is very colorful, with iridescent shades of purple, blue and green, set against those intense yellow-rimmed eyes. These birds are rather striking up close!

Mirror Lake is a good birding spot in Yosemite Valley. The "lake" is a ponded part of Tenaya Creek, caused by a huge rockfall a couple of hundred years ago. Tenaya Creek runs high during the spring and then practically disappears by fall. I've seen a number of different kinds of woodpeckers, Red-winged Blackbirds, and the ever present Stellar's Jay and Raven.