tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post8909766458800379730..comments2023-09-16T04:08:25.750-07:00Comments on Butler's Birds: Nemesis No More!Laurence Butlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-14602914672159190332012-04-03T07:06:00.069-07:002012-04-03T07:06:00.069-07:00Yes! I'll get in touch with Spielberg right a...Yes! I'll get in touch with Spielberg right away...Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09823589589857736272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-8865067015218361722012-04-03T06:42:17.425-07:002012-04-03T06:42:17.425-07:00It was super! I'm ashamed to say that I felt a...It was super! I'm ashamed to say that I felt a little bit entitled to see some YHBBs after so many busts, but this sighting blew away all expectations, like finally getting a winning lotto numbers (except they weren't supposed to be rare in the first place).Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-7100828243867894952012-04-03T06:39:51.725-07:002012-04-03T06:39:51.725-07:00That's a great point Lauren. The birder/zombie...That's a great point Lauren. The birder/zombie angle really hasn't been done yet. Perhaps another Big Year rendition now as Zombie Year. It'll all start with the vultures...<br />Zombie Shrikes?? The very idea makes me shudder.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-49905809468521004842012-04-03T06:30:28.134-07:002012-04-03T06:30:28.134-07:00WOW is right!! I'd love to witness something ...WOW is right!! I'd love to witness something like that!KaHollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02528677007819875856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-46283539577781727552012-04-03T06:28:29.604-07:002012-04-03T06:28:29.604-07:00Wow! Great photos, I've never seen a flock th...Wow! Great photos, I've never seen a flock that big, what a spectacle indeed! I've always thought that zombies would/should sound like Yellow-headed's. I admit I've taken to calling them 'zombie birds' and have received some strange looks for doing so. Now that I think of it, someone really should make a birder zombie movie...Night of the Living Birder? Birds of the Dead?Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09823589589857736272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-1426194439203511322012-04-01T22:03:10.672-07:002012-04-01T22:03:10.672-07:00Haha! That's exactly it Kathie, great observat...Haha! That's exactly it Kathie, great observation. I'll have to go back and crash their party soon.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-7009077542427132422012-04-01T19:25:32.038-07:002012-04-01T19:25:32.038-07:00Awesome, awesome post! Congrats on finally finding...Awesome, awesome post! Congrats on finally finding this species! It's as if you had a yellow-headed blackbird party and they were the confetti! Wow! that's a lot of birds!Kathie Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10377224759599266209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-53101225294949672332012-03-28T15:43:12.066-07:002012-03-28T15:43:12.066-07:00Thanks Hilke, I appreciate you stopping by.Thanks Hilke, I appreciate you stopping by.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-81761847052311798462012-03-28T14:22:41.143-07:002012-03-28T14:22:41.143-07:00Congrats! Great show and beautiful shots!!Congrats! Great show and beautiful shots!!Hilke Brederhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18357741278362930033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-76010791381912922942012-03-28T14:16:56.846-07:002012-03-28T14:16:56.846-07:00Thanks Tammy. They are stunning birds, and it was ...Thanks Tammy. They are stunning birds, and it was a pretty stunning circumstance to see them.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-19136783204450860192012-03-28T14:15:22.115-07:002012-03-28T14:15:22.115-07:00Sorry about your father...at least now I can die h...Sorry about your father...at least now I can die happy.<br />It was nice to make up for my years of blackbird famine, if that's a silver lining.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-42822613501495456632012-03-28T11:24:13.539-07:002012-03-28T11:24:13.539-07:00Well done! They certainly are stunning birds!Well done! They certainly are stunning birds!Tammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08481372510221914366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-37627730862683098122012-03-28T11:12:31.745-07:002012-03-28T11:12:31.745-07:00Wow, you conquered that nemesis bird with a vengea...Wow, you conquered that nemesis bird with a vengeance! Very nice! Also, I loved that you referenced The Princess Bride. "You killed my father. Prepare to die." Congrats on these lovely blackbirds!Maureen Leong-Keehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520703570778913408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-81464796193916823012012-03-28T10:56:52.017-07:002012-03-28T10:56:52.017-07:00Indeed Robert, thank you. It was very nice not onl...Indeed Robert, thank you. It was very nice not only to get the check, but to have the "soul-satisfying view," as well.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-32868815166404541662012-03-28T10:54:27.234-07:002012-03-28T10:54:27.234-07:00Ahh...sweet success! Well done Laurence.Ahh...sweet success! Well done Laurence.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11333731452974780237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-40402591664536075302012-03-28T10:33:26.086-07:002012-03-28T10:33:26.086-07:00Thanks Wren, glad you stopped by.Thanks Wren, glad you stopped by.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-46251784198936950232012-03-28T09:42:24.484-07:002012-03-28T09:42:24.484-07:00Wow! Amazing...so many! Love the photos.Wow! Amazing...so many! Love the photos.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12692170857496442623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-73020557491482486922012-03-28T09:24:31.108-07:002012-03-28T09:24:31.108-07:00"Stop Saying That!!!" (To continue to th..."Stop Saying That!!!" (To continue to the Princess Bride references)<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and commenting Mr. Clever. I've often driven by that WW Zoo and wondered what it's like. I daresay the dairy farms don't have quite the color of a zoo, and probably smell a fair bit worse, but hey we all do what we've got to do to get our birds (I'm glad I wasn't bleeding as much as Indigo when all was said and done).<br /><br />Birding with 5 children does sound pretty difficult, but I guess that just means you saw a lot of storks earlier on eh? : )Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-3817222437619975032012-03-28T08:39:36.556-07:002012-03-28T08:39:36.556-07:00Wow!! That is impressive!! Great pics. And well...Wow!! That is impressive!! Great pics. And well-written, too! Anyone who makes a Princess Bride reference gets bonus points, in my book. I have an Inigo Montoya tee shirt, in fact, that has a pic on the chest that looks like a name tag, and it says, "HELLO. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Hahaha! <br /><br />I was just out in this area -- sort of -- yesterday, as I took my children to the Wildlife World Zoo (at Northern & Sarival). I was thinking, with a laugh, that I just couldn't put any bird I saw there on my life list, even the North American ones, because being caged surely didn't count. The ones flitting wildly around, though, might. :) Birding with five children is an exercise in futility; I have to get out on my own to really devote any attention to it. But, I did keep my eye out, while driving, for anything special. Alas, I didn't see anything remotely like your Yellow-Headed treasure trove!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-88106546678736437372012-03-27T18:15:09.718-07:002012-03-27T18:15:09.718-07:00Gratzi Nicholas. I intend to go back for some bett...Gratzi Nicholas. I intend to go back for some better photos, so I'll try to flush them in an easterly direction if possible. Also, I'll try to catch a few and mail them to you.<br /><br />That's a great point about the different migratory times for males and females, and one that hadn't occurred to me. Since the females are the less iconic of the species, it's very strange to now picture a huge migratory flock of all female blackbirds. Chauvinistic though it may be to admit, I'd be pretty disappointed to find that flock instead of this one : \Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-63000047721964819092012-03-27T15:26:54.112-07:002012-03-27T15:26:54.112-07:00Congratulations on conquering your nemesis bird! I...Congratulations on conquering your nemesis bird! It looks like you've got plenty to spare, if you want to send some over here. Odd that they should all happen to be males - I guess the males migrate back earlier?Nicholas Martenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430793036041198643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-43413331059926629372012-03-27T13:52:32.212-07:002012-03-27T13:52:32.212-07:00Thanks Mia. They're startlingly brilliant.Thanks Mia. They're startlingly brilliant.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-23421863437783492382012-03-27T12:34:11.564-07:002012-03-27T12:34:11.564-07:00Laurence, congrats on getting your nemesis bird! Y...Laurence, congrats on getting your nemesis bird! Yellow-headed Blackbirds are so neat.Mia McPhersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01613385411156245829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-64645724508635496332012-03-27T11:52:43.327-07:002012-03-27T11:52:43.327-07:00I've heard a lot about the Sweetwater Wetlands...I've heard a lot about the Sweetwater Wetlands, definitely need to check them out. I didn't come close to getting a picture of the marsh birds. I was lucky to have these YHBB nearby and out in the open. As you aid, it was amazing to have a big flock flying all around, the noise and wind of just their beating wings was incredible.Laurence Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766876797454283812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791077723521794200.post-42861131710296446332012-03-27T11:22:49.265-07:002012-03-27T11:22:49.265-07:00Yeah.....brown sugar:) LOL!!! If you ever stop do...Yeah.....brown sugar:) LOL!!! If you ever stop down in Tucson, there is a huge colony of them in a certain area of the Sweetwater Wetlands. But they can be elusive in the reeds. I love your closeups....I have yet to get those extreme closeups. I love when they fly en masse around you. Beautiful birds! The Wetlands are segregated blackbird wise. The Red Wings take up about 75 percent of the area while the Yellow Headed ones 25 percent. The best viewing is before sundown as things become heated up. It's a pretty incredible show.Rohrerbothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02136631378931478644noreply@blogger.com