A Record

As I was doing laundry this morning, I happened to look out the window and spotted a bird that looked just a little different than the usual suspects.  It was in with some red-winged blackbirds and grackles and at first I dismissed it as a grackle.  But something wasn't quite right...  And it turns out that it was a Rusty Blackbird, a yard first for me!  Rusty Blackbirds are a species of concern as their population has plummeted over 85% in the last 40 years. Scientists have no hard theory as to why their numbers are in such sharp decline.  

Rusty blackbirds nest in the boreal forests of North America and are migratory in our area.  This particular bird is a male completing his molt from his winter "rusty" colors to his glossy black of summer.  Interestingly, the spring color transition isn’t actually a true molt but rather the wearing down of the rusty colored winter feathers leaving the glossy black underneath.

Not my finest photo since I had to grab it at an odd angle through our double-pane window.  But a good enough image to confirm the identity.  

In addition to laundry, I booked my flights to Brazil and also went and met with the marketing person at the continuous care community down the road form us.  I am gathering information for my parents who are still trying to wrap their heads around moving out of the condo and into a senior living community.  For all the obvious reasons, we'd like to have them here close to us and the facility near us has so many amenities and activities.  We'll see.  

Chilly again today so we have a fire going in the fireplace.  

xo
Debbi