Whatbird.com

I think this might? be an Eastern Meadowlark?

 

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Northern Alleghenies of Western Pa.

Latest backyard birds: Merlin,
Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Phoebe, White Breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse.

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The Meadowlark has a longer,thinner bill. Note the female purple finch-like face pattern.

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New Additions to Life List: black-bellied plover, whimbrel,solitary sandpiper, common nighthawk, American redstart

Thank You so much!

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Northern Alleghenies of Western Pa.

Latest backyard birds: Merlin,
Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Phoebe, White Breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse.

looks like a Redwing Blackbird female to me

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In loving memory of Nancy my darling wife of 10 years who passed away on Monday November the 16th 2009 after an illness

My photo gallery http://thekiwi.org/photography/index.php

spottedowl:

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The Meadowlark has a longer,thinner bill. Note the female purple finch-like face pattern.

here is a female rosebreasted grosbeak female

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In loving memory of Nancy my darling wife of 10 years who passed away on Monday November the 16th 2009 after an illness

My photo gallery http://thekiwi.org/photography/index.php

and here is a female redwing

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In loving memory of Nancy my darling wife of 10 years who passed away on Monday November the 16th 2009 after an illness

My photo gallery http://thekiwi.org/photography/index.php

Red-winged blackbird was my first thought as well, although the streaking looks very faint on the underparts, and now that it's been brought up, I can see it as a grosbeak too.  I can't tell enough about the bill.  Do you have a picture that shows it better?

It is a grosbeak. The malar stripe is too bold for red-wing.

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Last Life Birds-
139 in Costa Rica Including Quetzal and Scarlet Macaw
www.birdersflightlog.blogspot.com
2010 year list- 246

This is the only other one...very very poor quality.

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Northern Alleghenies of Western Pa.

Latest backyard birds: Merlin,
Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Phoebe, White Breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse.

Looks even more like a red-wing to me after this second picture.

Look at the color of the auriculars on the bird in question- dark. Same with the picture of the grosbeak. But the RWBB has pale auriculars, as shown in the kiwi's photo.

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Last Life Birds-
139 in Costa Rica Including Quetzal and Scarlet Macaw
www.birdersflightlog.blogspot.com
2010 year list- 246

Corbett:

Look at the color of the auriculars on the bird in question- dark. Same with the picture of the grosbeak. But the RWBB has pale auriculars, as shown in the kiwi's photo.

Female RWBB

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In loving memory of Nancy my darling wife of 10 years who passed away on Monday November the 16th 2009 after an illness

My photo gallery http://thekiwi.org/photography/index.php

It does look like a red-wing, but I'm going to stick with rose-breasted grosbeak. The bird seems to be wet, making it appear darker. As Corbett noted the auriculars are dark.

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New Additions to Life List: black-bellied plover, whimbrel,solitary sandpiper, common nighthawk, American redstart

I can't reconcile those buffy edges on the coverts, that very straight looking malar and such dark colours with a r-b grosbeak.  Sibley mentions there are dark forms of 1st summer male redwings in all populations.  Perhaps this could be one.  I found one (very dark) example on the internet showing that the auriculars can be quite dark, but the breast doesn't match up well at all.  The gizz say RWBL, but I'm not convinced one way or the other.

http://visitcranelake.com/images/blog/immature%20red%20wing%20blackbird.jpg

Scott

Since my OP ..I have snapped a few more pics, Now I know the original one is a Female RWB.

 

And here is a good one of the Female RBG

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Northern Alleghenies of Western Pa.

Latest backyard birds: Merlin,
Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Phoebe, White Breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse.