ML612965422

Age and sex

Unknown age, Female - 1

Media notes

Rusty Blackbird female - Nunes Ranch (A Ranch), 1/1/24. A stunning RUBL with the Pacific Ocean in the background; it doesn't get much better than that.

Observation details

Heck yeah, Happy New Year!!! I was on my way to the Lighthouse when I decided to pull over and scan the muddy cow pen/draw area to the west of the road, just past the ranch buildings at Nunes. Almost immediately, I noted a light colored blackbird with my 1x1's and when I got my binoculars on it, I was shocked to see what I was almost positive was a Rusty Blackbird. The bird was working the small muddy ditch area along the fence line here (38.000153, -122.995929). I grabbed some horrible and distant photos before the bird moved out of sight into a muddy rut. Soon after, the whole flock took flight and I lost the RUBL candidate. The flock moved just across the road (east), so I kept searching, hoping the bird was still nearby. Surprisingly, only a few minutes later, I refound the bird preening on a fencepost back on the west side of the road here (37.998818, -122.995056). This is where I was able to grab photos and great looks. The bird then flew back east across the road to the wires and grass/mud area around here (37.997866, -122.994115), where I stayed on it as others arrived. Eventually, it took off and I was not able to refind the RUBL during the rest of my observation. In the field, what stood out initially was the overall strong rusty/rufous/bronze wash to the bird. When I was finally able to get good looks, the light brow above the eye, bright yellow irides, dark lores, and "Dipper gray" rump were also of note. The rufous head and back contrasted sharply with the gray rump when viewed dorsally, and the wings and coverts appeared dark, fringed in rust. The breast was rufous/rust color, blending into a charcoal belly. The suite of characteristics was enough to eliminate Brewer's Blackbird. Common Grackle ruled out as it would have a much thicker bill, longer wedge shaped tail, and would be noticeably larger than RUBL. Super rad!

Technical information

Model

ILCE-9

Lens

FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

ISO

800

Focal length

600 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

3409 pixels x 2098 pixels

Original file size

1.35 MB