From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Wed Oct 13 22:54:17 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i9E5pTji017342 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 13 Oct 2004 22:51:30 -0700 (PDT) Received: from smtpout.mac.com (smtpout.mac.com [17.250.248.87]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i9E5ofVC017296 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 13 Oct 2004 22:50:42 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mac.com (smtpin07-en2 [10.13.10.152]) by smtpout.mac.com (Xserve/MantshX 2.0) with ESMTP id i9E5oeHT013755 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 13 Oct 2004 22:50:40 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [192.168.123.201] (user-112vup2.biz.mindspring.com [66.47.251.34]) (authenticated bits=0) by mac.com (Xserve/smtpin07/MantshX 4.0) with ESMTP id i9E5odx9019950 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 13 Oct 2004 22:50:40 -0700 (PDT) Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v618) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed To: SBB <[[email protected]]> From: Eric Goodill <[[email protected]]> Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 22:50:37 -0700 X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.618) Subject: [SBB] Grackle at Palo Alto Baylands? X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5b1 Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Hello birders, I was out at the Palo Alto Baylands Park on Wed, Oct 13 at about 10:30 AM, and I spotted what I think is a pair of male and female Great-tailed Grackles atop the Lucy Evans Nature Center. I don't have much experience with grackles, so the ID is tentative, but I did manage to snap a few pictures, that while not wonderful, will probably help aid in identification. I first noticed the fairly soft, low "chupping" which both birds were making. They were clearly larger and sleeker than any of the blackbirds we expect, and the tale on the male was markedly longer. Given the size and the long tail, I do assume they are grackles but which kind? Here are my thoughts. The Common Grackle's range, according to Sibley, would make it a pretty unusual bird. Also I didn't see any of the two-tone head vs. body that Sibley shows. The juvinile is mostly all brown. The male was clearly adult with its black, glossy feathers, and the female has a lot more patterning on it compared to the plain juvenile. Boat-tailed Grackle looks to be extremely unlikely based on range, the the female doesn't have any of the warmth of color Sibley shows. Great-tailed Grackle seems the most likely based on range. Also the head seems a bit flatter than Boat-tailed which Sibley points out. The female has pale tones on her breast without any of the warmer colors Sibley shows for the Boat-tailed. It's a bit difficult for me to tell, but I also think the bill is heavier like that of a Great-tailed as opposed to a Boat-tailed. I would appreciate any comments either on or off the list. Unfortunately, they both flew off while I was fiddling with the camera, so I never actually saw them fly. I'm sorry I couldn't get this post out in a more-timely fashion. Here are the links to the photos. I've cropped them pretty close and reduced them in size, but they are otherwise untouched. http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8956.JPG (male) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8957.JPG (male tail) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8958.JPG (female) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8959.JPG (female facial patterning) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8960.JPG (female) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8963.JPG (male) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8964.JPG (male bill & flat head) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8965.JPG (male) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8966.JPG (male flat head) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8967.JPG (male) http://homepage.mac.com/ericgmac/birds/DSCN8968.JPG (male) Good birding, Eric _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]]