ML153754941

Age and sex

Adult Male - X

Media notes

Same bird as in 4921-photo 6.

Observation details

FHC, submitted 04.25.19 The bird displaying in photos 2 is the same bird as in photos 3 & 4. My but doesn't the bill get large when you enlarge the photo. Some people might think even Common Grackle size. This is an artifact that Grant calls size-illusion in relation to gulls, whereby farther objects look larger than closer ones. The illusion can be encountered in photographs with telephoto lenses and is greater the nearer the object and the higher the magnification. Compare it with the Brewer's Blackbird in photos 3 & 4 that one reviewing reviewer, maybe two, mistakenly called a Common Grackle in this checklist https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S35169582. The bills are of the same proportions, and look at how short the tail is on that "Common Grackle". It should be known that Common Grackles would have a much longer tail. Birds in their normal location. On both the east and west sides of the road, with most on the west side on top of the corn stalks. Taking flight and flying to the east. Males and females vocalizing and displaying from the cornstalks. Another brown-headed female was seen similar to the one seen in Lake Co. Third to last photo-photo 8 (4961) is of a darker brown headed female. It looked through the binoculars similar to the females seen recently in Lake Co with a darker body than most females show and a slightly browner head in contrast. Photo comments 1-with female to the left 2-Displaying, with a short tail. Same bird as in photos 3 & 4 3-Some people might have a hard time telling this from a grackle if they didn't look at the tail length. 4-Note the short tail. Same bird that was enlarged in photo 3. 5-A male on the left with two lighter brown dark-eyed females. 6-Beginning to display. 7-Same bird as in 4921-photo 6. 9-A female fanning the tail showing how square it is, with a male to the right.

Technical information

Model

COOLPIX P600

ISO

100

Focal length

567.6 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/6.5

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

2719 pixels x 2062 pixels

Original file size

1.25 MB