Today was notable for the numbers of blackbirds around the backyard  
here in Norwich village.
By far the largest "black bird" was a Turkey Vulture, which flew low  
over the yard while moving in a northward direction this morning.  
Another new-for-the-year-here species today was a male Brown-headed  
Cowbird. The numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles  
substantially exceeded previous yard counts so far this year. A  
conservative estimate within the yard today was 60 red-wings and 20  
grackles.

Other bird species seen in the yard today included a Rock Pigeon,  
Mourning Dove, 8 Blue Jays, 2 American Crows, Black-capped Chickadees,  
a White-breasted Nuthatch, a European Starling, 6 Dark-eyed Juncos, 2  
White-throated Sparrows, and a pair of Northern Cardinals.

George Clark
Norwich, VT