[EBB Sightings] NE Ala. C.: Eurasian C-D, Tricolored BB

Hi Birders.

I spent an hour or so yesterday watching the action on Kelso near Brun, in NE Alameda County.? A pair of?EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were perched in a pine near the intersection and a male TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD was in a large?blackbird flock with some cattle south?(more or less) of the intersection.? I don't know how common these are in that area.? A couple of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were soaring around, as expected.

I was interested in the FORAGING POSTURES of the blackbirds.? Both the BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS (of which there were many) and the RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were foraging with their bottoms tipped up; it was easy to distinguish the females of these two species by the differences in undertail coverts - the "scaliness" of the blackbirds was a lot more contrasting than that of the cowbirds.? The Brewer's Blackbirds did not tip up, however, and I couldn't see the undertail coverts, although I think they're unmarked.

What a beautiful day to be out!

Good birding,
Emily Serkin
Castro Valley