July 31, 1980 - When Is a Black Bird Not a Blackbird?SECOND SECTION
I.Ebe *Uffath Tunes JULY 31, 1980
When Is a Black Bird Not a Blackbird?
To most, any dark colored bird is a
blackbird. Actually we have quite a few
black birds which don't belong to the
blackbird family, and I guess they're
pretty confusing, yet each has its own
characteristics and behavior and with a
little practice you can easily sort them out.
Should you look in a bird book under
blackbirds, you'll find our red - winged
blackbird listed there. It's by far one of the
most common birds we have. The female
has none of the glossy black, but is a
subdued mottled brownish bird well adapt-
ed to camouflage for sitting on her dried
grass nest amongst low shrubbery and
grass.
These birds in the fall migrate by the
millions and cause much concern down
south. In some areas they literally take
over the community. How to cope with
these invasions is becoming one of the
major problems of the Fish and Wildlife
Service, for the birds literally clean out a
crop in a few days. Yet it is ironic that up
here they are still welcome each year and
people actually look forward to their
return as one of the first signs of spring in
mid - March.
We have quite a few
black birds which
don't belong to the
blackbird family,
It is common to many to call a starling a
blackbird. That is not true in the technical
sense. Our pesky, greedy starling came to
us from Europe in the early part of this
century and has now spread throughout
the country. It's a problem to some here on
Long Island in almost the same way the
red -wing has been a problem down south.
Starlings Invade Duck Farms
Here starlings nest in tree cavities -- in
crevices in old buildings, in bird houses
that have large openings -- they're all
about. In the winter we see the starling at
our feeder and think no more about it, but
in some areas they congregate by the
thousands -- particularly on the south side.
It's here they are found invading the duck
farms to gorge themselves with duck feed
they rob from the hoppers in the outside
pens. Like great clouds they move in and
fill up.
I've seen them in the early morning so
thick they looked like smoke rising up in
great clouds out of a roosting marsh. It's a
spectacular sight and I feel sorry for the
poor duck grower who has to put up with it.
A true bird of the blackbird family is
the grackle. This large, iridescent purplish
black bird is often mistaken for a baby
crow. They nest in colonies mostly in
evergreens. Here on the East End you'll
usually find them in cedars. They're noisy
fellows and quite destructive to crops and
other birds, for they have a habit of
robbing nests of eggs and even the young
of many of our song birds.
They, too, gang up in great flocks and we
usually see them here in the fall, when the
young and old together forage through our
woods. It sounds like invading troops -- the
woods come alive with chatter as they turn
over every leaf in 'search of food. The
purple grackle is a handsome bird but
because of its overbreeding has been a
pest, like the red -wing and the starling,
when congregated in great flocks down
south.
Crows Once A Big Problem
Along with the red -wing, starling and
grackle, you'll usually see the cowbird --
its smaller size and brown head easily
distinguish it from the rest. Small groups
of these can be seen now feeding in open
fields but they are nowhere as common as
the others.
Crows are truly black and larger than all
of the blackbirds. They are not members
of the blackbird family. We have two kinds
here on the island, the common crow and
the fish crow, a smaller relative with a
hoarse voice. We don't have the fish crow
on the North Fork but do have him along
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the South Shore, especially to the west.
Right now you'll see families of crows
flying and feeding together -- usually six,
seven or eight. Now is the time for learning
the tricks of their trade; little fights in
flight, daring dives and super- inquisitive-
ness, picking about the ground like true
children.
Crows were' once very common and
quite a problem to the farmer. Today they
go unnoticed. Thirty years ago there were
great roosts of crows at various spots on
the island. One was in the woods just east
of Mattituck on the North Road, while the
biggest one was south of the North Road in
Jamesport.
Crows by the thousands would congre-
gate each evening and leave at dawn the
next day to forage all over the East End. It
Was something to see. Today the crows
are coming back slowly. I'll hear one once
in a while and it brings back a feeling of
true country, for they are as much a way of
our life as clams and potatoes here on the
East End.
Each of these black birds has its own bag
of bad tricks that make them offensive to
some -- yet should the score be kept of good
and bad I wager that all would pass with
flying colors. It seems its easier to look for
the bad side of things rather than the
good ... we all know this from listening to
the news each day ... it's sad but true.
PAULSTOUTENBURGH
PURPLE GRACKLE - -This large, iridescent, purplish black bird is often
taken for a young crow. He scavenges anything from a leftover pancake
in the backyard to the farmers' crops and sometimes even becomes a
robber of other birds' eggs. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
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