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What’s in a Name: Brewer’s Blackbird

10,000 Birds

Blackbirds, as a family, often have those simple descriptive names that are easy to mock ( Yellow-rumped Warbler , ugh) until a non-birder comes describing such a species to you and asking for an ID. Which is not to say that the creeping hand of ornithological nepotism has never touched the blackbirds.

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“Understanding Animal Behaviour” by Rory Putman

10,000 Birds

I particularly recommend this book to students minoring in biology, ecology, environmental and veterinary sciences: Putnam’s clearly written and easy to understand style is sure to explain the complex concepts without relying on hard to decipher terminology. Brewer’s blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus. Cactus finch, Geospiza species.

Animal 114
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“The Center of the Universe”: Fremont Brewing: Universale Pale Ale

10,000 Birds

Sometimes they show up in February if we get hints of an early spring, along with Turkey Vultures, Killdeer, Red-winged Blackbirds, and a few other eager and opportunistic early migrants. And yes, three of those eight species are Rock Pigeon, European Starling, and House Sparrow.).

Seattle 113
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Montezuma Winery: Red Wing

10,000 Birds

It’s often said that the native wild grape varieties of the New World– of the species Vitis riparia , Vitis labrusca , Vitis aestivalis , and Vitis rupestris – are ill-suited to winemaking in the European tradition. In fact, that claim may have even been repeated here on this page just last week.

Ohio 129
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Birds of Bolivia: Field Guide–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. The guide covers 1,433 species, the number of birds documented at the end of 2014, the cutoff point for the book.

Bolivia 169
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Birds and People: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

It’s not like I had forgotten lists created with friends of ‘songs with birds in the lyrics’, my personal favorites being Sondheim’s Green Finch and Linnet Bird and the Beatles’ Blackbird. Cocker writes about the species within each family with a literary specificity softened by a tone of conversational patience.

Birds 207
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Playing with the Pros

10,000 Birds

And even when I did try, my counts came up significantly lower than the science people’s count. I was very pleased to see several Brewer’s Blackbirds mixed in with a large group of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. This is only my second sighting of the species on Lake Cuitzeo.

Pelicans 209