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