On The Wing #26: And the Lucky Winner Is....
This will be a short entry, but a necessary one. Just two days before I left for my job in Norwalk, CT as a Long-tailed Duck or Oldsquaw ( Clangula hyemalis ) hunter surveyor, I spotted my 300th species. The goal is complete, but I don't want to stop there. Before I mention the latest species addition, I'm going to try and get as many birds as possible before the year is out. I'm hoping for 310, but we'll have to wait and see. Even 301 would be wonderful at this point. Anyhow, back to the matter at hand. The 300th species I saw on October 28th, was a single Rusty Blackbird ( Euphagus carolinus ) flying over Wayland Community Garden in Wayland, MA. I feel fortunate to have seen such a vulnerable species, but at the same time, marveled at every other birder's perceived ability to scope them out. They're very similar to Red-winged Blackbirds ( Agelaius phoenicus ) in flight and can only really be picked apart if they've landed and are pretty close by or by th...