I'd say even without looking at the picture that it is not unlikely that you saw a Rusty Blackbird. They are moving through the area now, sometimes in numbers of over 25 (even in the hundreds in rare instances).
The description sounds good and you are right when compared to grackles, the rusties aren't as glossy. And, it is too early for young grackles. Rich Guthrie New Baltimore The Greening County [email protected] http://blog.timesunion.com/birding _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of deidam623 Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:48 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [MidHudsonBirds] Rusty Blackbird? I'm beginning to have doubts on my ID for this. I put the picture up in my normal album, so I figured the best way to know for sure is to leave it in the hands of an expert(s). Here are my reasons for thinking its a rusty blackbird: - Was definitely blackbird sized. I almost didn't take a photo because I thought it was a red winged blackbird until he turned and I saw the yellow eye, even from a decent distance. - Thought it could be a young common grackle, but it didn't have that grackle iridescence and as far as I can find online and in my bird guides, young grackles don't have the bright yellow eye right away. If anyone can help please let me know. I've never seen a rusty blackbird before, so I just want to make sure it is that. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
