Hi all,
This morning while checking on the prairie restoration area in
Luckiamute State Natural Area's North unit, I heard some repeated thin
but piercing high-pitched sounds that I didn't recognize, coming from
farther north along the edge of the riparian tree plantings, next to the
big field.
I walked out across the field to try to see what it was, and found a
flock of about 50 Brewer's Blackbirds -- mostly males but with few
females -- sitting up in some young cottonwoods. But the sound didn't
seem right for a Brewer's Blackbird so I started to wonder about Rusty
Blackbird.
I started to search through the flock with my binoculars, triangulating
by moving to a couple different positions in the field. Eventually I
found one blackbird that had a mottled rusty pattern against a darker
background color on the sides of its breast, rusty-edged wings, and a
pale eye. I watched it a while and it was opening its bill in synch with
the sound. It was kind of high up to be sure but the bill looked oddly
thin.
Another bird was sometimes answering from the other side of the tree,
with a similar call though pitched just slightly lower. I didn't manage
to locate the second bird but I'm guessing it must have been of the same
kind.
After getting home I listened to some recordings. The high, piercing
call that I heard was quite similar to one among the calls at the end of
the sound clip for Rusty Blackbird, on my old Peterson Western Birds CD
(not the song).
After checking multiple references, it seems that all of this lines up
with RUSTY BLACKBIRD, which is a life bird for me (not counting one
possible bird from a couple of winters ago).
You can find directions to this location in the Willamette Valley
Birding Trail, Luckiamute Loop Site L10.
Good birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
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