Edith Wilson just sent me a photo of the Yellow-headed Blackbird that was present at the Fire Island hawkwatch yesterday, and she has kindly allowed me to post it on my picasa site. Comparing it to the bird I found later in the morning at Captree SP, they are basically similar. Both appear to be immature females, consistent with Bob Kurtz's field impression of the Fire Island bird and mine of the Captree bird (which was furthermore very small for a YH Blackbird, being comparable in size to a male Brown-headed Cowbird). I suspect, however, that they are different individuals, based on the Captree bird's seemingly less extensive white belly streaking, bolder yellow supercilium, and bolder white eye arcs.
Given that photos can be misleading, I'd be curious to know whether others agree with my assessment that there were two birds. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ Photos at the end of this album: https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/LongIslandMiscellany2013# --and also here: https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/PanicumAmarumOnLongIsland ________________________________ PS: Are you attending the CSI Breast Cancer Walkathon on Dolphin Day? Register Now><http://goo.gl/dLUDB> -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
