This guy flew in with his buddy last week for a visit. The pair hung around all day, zooming in and out of the barn and hopping from one fence to the next. I assumed they might be looking for a free meal or a place to camp for the night. I took a few pictures, planning to later identify them on whatbird.com. It's a really cool site where you can enter various values about a bird - shape, color, size, location - and up pop pictures of which birds it might be. (This site saved me from great embarrassment last summer. I was about to call the the local news crew to report a pterodactyl in my driveway...turned out it was only a Great Blue Heron.)
But I struck out on whatbird.com, and this guy remains a mystery.
Any ideas?
Deets was holding down the corral that day. Guess he wanted to be sure they knew who rules the roost around here.UPDATE: Wrensong Farm just identified this guy as a Yellow-Headed Blackbird. Thanks, Wrensong! I did a little research and learned:
They have one of the most unique bird calls. It has been described as a strange mixture of honking, gurgling and strangling noises.
I hope these guys and Wynonna don't team up and start a choir.
I don't know what kind, but how stunning!
ReplyDeleteIs there a "local" birdwatching group?
I haven't a clue either, but Deets looks very interested in him. Probably wondering what he tastes like.
ReplyDeleteI think his name should be Bill.
ReplyDeleteNo idea what "breed" he is but he looks a little like the sassy, noisy crowd who live in our palm trees in Mexico.
Hi, I don't know if my other post went thru, but that is a yellow headed blackbird (really!)
ReplyDeleteGosh darn it. I wanted to win! Congrats to Wrensong Farm.
ReplyDeleteI just spent an hour looking through all the bird sites, only to *finally* ID him as, yup, a yellow headed blackbird. Gee, what a concept - naming a bird for what it looks like. Who woulda thunk it?
Guess I'll go back underwater with my Fish ID surveys.
Deets....holding down the corral....Ah ha ha ha ha HA!! I'm going to be laughing about that one ALL DAY! :-)
ReplyDeleteGood golly! The contrast between the yellow and blue is beautiful. What camera do you use?
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that there was such a bird. Really pretty though and I would love to hear him.
ReplyDeleteLinda you are just so funny! I'm still laughing about your post about the shelf life of ponds in New Mexico, and now you go and show a picture of Deets actually holding down the corral? :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a crack up you are!
Wrensong Farm, I sure do appreciate the 411 on the big bird.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, thanks for researching on my behalf.
Farmgirl and Twinville, you guys are just too easy ... but thanks for thinking that I'm funny.
Maybelline, I'm using a Nikon D80.
Linda, super pictures. I was going to grab my NM bird book until I read someone had already identified him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Dan
Corrales, NM
Great pictures, what a beautiful little bird! What other birds do you have around those parts?(Besides the prehistoric ones. Which, by the way, one flew over My Boy's pasture and spooked him the other day. Those herons are BIG!)
ReplyDeleteI agree that Deet's holding down the corral is pretty funny, but I would really like to hear Wynonna, and the her mysterious bird pal, serenade each other...lol!!!
ReplyDeleteHonking, gurgling, and strangling? Yikes. Guess you won't confuse that bird call with any others ...
ReplyDelete