17-07-2009, 07:00 AM
posted to rec.gardens
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2009
Posts: 30
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strange bird near my raised bed
"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
OhioGuy said:
An unusual looking bird was outside about half an hour ago, eating the
cat
food that I put out by a raised bed near our North Star cherry tree. I've
never seen one of these before here in SW Ohio, so I thought I would post
a
picture to see if anyone else recognizes it.
At first I thought it was a grey jay, then I thought perhaps a
kingfisher,
but neither of those lives around here. Then I thought perhaps a northern
raven, but those are usually darker, much larger, and don't have the grey
slash on the side. After looking at the photos, I realized that what I
had
thought was a crest was actually a humpback of some kind. It is one of
the
wierder looking birds I've seen around here.
It is grey in color, roughly 11-13" long including the tail, and has a
white or light grey mark at the top of the wing. It also has what I would
describe as a huge hump, with the head down below. Head itself is a
darker
black color.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/5789/mysterybird.jpg
Young grackle with warble fly larva in its neck, maybe.
In any case, I think that's a young grackle with a problem/deformity.
Or someone played around with Photo Shop. ;-)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI
"So, it was all a dream."
"No dear, this is the dream, you're still in the cell."
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