Rusty Blackbird in Edgewood Park, New Haven

Yesterday, we went looking for the Red Headed Woodpecker that we had seen during the winter...(see post). Reports had it beginning to molt from the juvenile brown/gray to its striking red head. But no luck...and it was cold.

We did however, find a massive flock of blackbirds moving throughout the wooded area of the park. There were also reports of Rusy Blackbirds in the area, so we looked. Female Grackles kept confusing us, but we met a photographer who gave us hints....look on the ground in the undergrowth. Within minutes, we had several.

Very strange photo of these birds. They were in various stages of rust from a brown to an almost perfect black.

Breeding Shape: Lesser Black-Backed Gull

We went to Southport to try to find reported Little Gulls and Black Headed Gulls. Instead we found a bunch of Bonaparte Gulls in varying degrees of transition plumage. Sometimes I wonder about these reports.

But someone at the beach told us about a Lesser Black-Backed Gull just down the road. We found it in a mixed gull flock. Our first ever.

The back was certainly less dark than the Greater Black-Backed Gull, and the size distinction was a bit less than I had anticipated. But there was no doubt with the legs, a bright yellow. The gull stayed put, and then flew around a bit. Worth the trip afterall.