Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Rusty Blackbirds

 Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)

Rusty blackbirds are headed south  for the southeastern U.S. but along the way a few stopped into one of my favourite  birding spots to refuel. It's a treat to see them as they have been suffering from a population decline. Now they are dressed in their winter plumage and - truth be told - I don't believe I would recognize them in their breeding finery,  Maybe I would notice their lovely yellow eyes, though.

Fall finery

A large percentage of them (some say 75%) spend summer in Canada's boreal forests. They are considered a keystone species because they build sturdy nests anew each year, so sturdy that other birds such as the Solitary Sandpiper have been known to use their abandoned nests the next year.
I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

44 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

As I have said before, you do know your birds and flowers. But ... you probably want to correct the typo in your title. :)

Tanya Breese said...

wonderful shots!

Tanya Breese said...

wonderful shots!

chica said...

Cliques maravilhosos!bjs,chica

GreenComotion said...

Great find and photos, Tina!
Love the antique finish on the birds ...
Have a Beautiful Day!
Peace :)

Phil Slade said...

I regret I never saw a Rusty Blackbird in two visits to Ontario, Canada. Interesting that your birders like NW winds in the autumn. Our NW winds blow off the Irish Sea where there is water. Your NW winds blow from inland where many birds reside?

Sylvia K said...

I always love your birds and critters -- well, let's face it, I love your blog and your photos and look forward to them every day!! I hope you're having good weather, it's very mild for this time of year here in Portland, but it is GRAY and gloomy!! Hope your week is off to a great start!! Enjoy!!

BasiaW said...

I always love your birds too....

mick said...

Great photos - I like your name for the birds - "rusty blackbirds" - that is perfect for their off-season plumage.

My name is Riet said...

What a special bird that is

William Kendall said...

They really are pretty!

Ruth Hiebert said...

They are certainly beautiful on their fall colors.

Giga said...

Blackbirds in winter clothes look interesting. Regards.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

I look forward to seeing them down our way :O)

Cloudia said...

Thank you very much for this introduction to a new and lovely bird!

Now they have one more fan wishing them well. . . .



ALOHA
ComfortSpiral

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

21 Wits said...

A beautiful bird, and so often unless it's very common to me do I ever know their real name! Thanks for sharing.

TexWisGirl said...

wow, they're gorgeous!

Revrunner said...

I've never knowingly seen one.

Dianne said...

Lovely clear captures of these unusually coloured birds.

Noke said...

Schöne Bilder vom Herbst Putz.

Gruß
Noke

Pamela Gordon said...

Beautiful captures of these birds. I like the touches of 'gold' in their feathers.

Lowell said...

You've captured this little guy perfectly. But a name change might be considered: How about Rustybirds?

RedPat said...

Such wonderful patterns the feathers make, EG!

Unknown said...

Wonderful pictures, you sure have some patience...

DeniseinVA said...

Lovely birds beautifully captured.

Taken For Granted said...

We have lots of black birds, but never seen this one. Thank for posting your excellent pictures.

Rose said...

He sure is a handsome fellow!

Stephanie said...

A beautiful looking bird.

Kay said...

Another one we don't see out west. Very, very nice shots!

Indrani said...

Wow! Excellent. Well captured.

Birgitta said...

Great photos! Thanks for info too!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

great hots and don't remember seeing one on blogger.

Breathtaking said...

Oh my word what a gorgeous looking Blackbird, which I have never ever seen or heard of before. Many thanks for sharing this beautiful capture.

Darla said...

I can see the Rusty in that last shot. Hope their numbers are increasing soon

eileeninmd said...

The are pretty Blackbirds, great shots! I am glad you got to see them. Enjoy your day!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Brilliant captures EG, you can see where the 'rusty' comes in, amazing.I have never seen before.

VP said...

A fine 'portrait'!

NatureFootstep said...

this is a blackbird I can´t remember weeing before. Glad you were able to do that. :) Great shots .

Kathy said...

I've never seen one of these birds. I guess we're too far west. Very pretty dappled coloring.

Amy at love made my home said...

I have never seen a rusty blackbird before, or heard of them. Ours are all just regular black blackbirds! xx

Silver Parrot said...

Never seen these before - thanks for sharing. They kind of remind me of grackles a bit.

A Colorful World said...

Such an interesting bird! Great shots!

Jack said...

Beautiful birds beautifully photographed.

Adam Jones said...

That's a new bird for me. Great shots too.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.