Posted by Raul U on May 13, 2003 at 00:32:23:
Of all the things I expected to see today at FIU as I walked out into the parking lot at quarter past seven in the evening, a bronzed cowbird WAS NOT one of them. It had just rained and dozens of boat-tailed grackles, along with several starlings, were foraging in the grassy areas bordering the parking lot. One bird caught my attention as I walked toward my car and talked to my girlfriend on my cell phone. I noticed it stood out from the rest and soon it registered that it was a cowbird. Since I now carry my binoculars (and field guide) with me to and from work, I was able to look at the bird through them and I noticed the red eye. I have seen brown-headed cowbirds before and this did not look like one. The bird was then chased by a mockingbird and flew into a nearby tree. It then flew back into a grassy area were it got spooked by a pedestrian and flew further away where I lost sight of it. The bird was dark with a heavy conical bill. I did not notice a thick ruff on neck, but some of the pictures I've seen on the web don't show it as obvious. I also could not tell if the wings were glossy blue (it was still cloudy from the rains). I WAS able to see a red iris. According to Sibley's it could've been an adult male or an adult eastern female. Neato.
Cheers,
Raul