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The first local snowfall, Jan. 20, transformed the world, smoothed sharp edges, and brought two new birds to the feeder. One was a rarity and exciting. The second was certainly of interest, as it is a bird about which there is concern. A population explosion of this species in recent years has resulted in declines of many native species, including one of my favorite singers, the Wood Thrush.
The welcome visitor was a male Rusty Blackbird, a name that does not well-describe the bird with flat black plumage and yellow eyes that made a skittish pass at the feeder.
“It looks like a redwing,” said Lee Trott. We were at the breakfast table.
She was, as usual, right. It did look like a male Redwinged Blackbird without the bright yellow and orange shoulder patches. And redwings do not have bright yellow eyes. The new blackbird nervously flicked its tail much as a redwing does and stayed long enough for me to observe the narrow, almost thrushlike, bill.
Initially, I was reminded of a grackle, which the new bird resembled except for a marked difference in size. The male common Grackle is 12 inches long, much larger than the flinch Rusty Blackbird. The other and very important difference between the two species is that the grackle has iridescent plumage that glows green, bronze, purple, and blue in sunlight. The Rusty Blackbird was jet black with no glint of iridescence — like a Red-winged Blackbird.
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