Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus – April 14, 2014
While regulating my irrigation water yesterday morning, I ran into this happy fellow, the likes of which I’ve never seen before around here. His habits reminded me of a blackbird, but a third larger, and after touring the Internet I finally identified this adult male that I believe is nesting in the nearby cattails bordering a pond. Distribution maps have Central California as a migration area only, breeding, it appears from the maps, on the east side of the Sierra Nevadas, Nevada and Arizona northward. More info HERE A fairly tame and colorful bird compared to our drab natives, I expect to see him again, and perhaps even the female, but next time I’ll have the big lens.
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus – April 14, 2014
drycrikjournal 
What a lovely fellow John and you captured him well, look at his wing span. 🙂
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Yes, the Yellow-headed Blackbird is quite a bit bigger than the standard Redwing, Blackbird. I had the big lens yesterday and circled the cattails patiently, but alas, did not see him.
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Love the action shot! He’s beautiful
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Over sixty years here, I’d never seen one before — mouth open clicking, watching through the lens — really a pretty bird 🙂
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