Whatbird.com

Seen at New Brighton State park Campground last month around 11 am...

Saw 3 of them but 2 flew off. Made a buzzing noise as they flew over.

About Robin size,  ( a little larger) all black with a yellow bill. It Hopped, was eating or collecting flowers.

I have tried other sites and got everything from " she did it in Photoshop" I did not;   to it's bill is covered in pollen. To; (most likely) : it must be an escapee"

The other 2 that flew off were not eating and also had yellow bills. The bills were short and thick looking and were very yellow. It's tail was longish and rounded.  I would have thought some kind of blackbird, but it was hopping.   And while there were Brewers and Starlings nearby these birds were hanging out with Crows... Any Ideas?

 

Better pic (larger rather) here...

http://thumb18.webshots.net/t/58/458/4/41/85/2731441850100586278HNhTHr_th.jpg

the photo breaks up when enlarged, so it's really hard to tell- I have no solid ideas for a larger-than-robin, yellow-billed, long-rounded-tailed, black bird- good luck! 

brewers, grackles have black bills- starlings were near, you said no...  brown jays, which have yellow bills as juveniles, don't really look black, don't live in Calif, and don't look like your bird-

I just got back from Aptos- Sand Dollar Beach...  

please post again if you get it figured out!

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online armchair birding...

after some research- there is such a bird as a yellow-billed blackbird- it's a British garden bird...  it really shouldn't be occuring in Aptos...  as you said, an escapee?

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online armchair birding...

Could it be a European starling? the tail looks short and males have yellow bills this time of year...

ML 

Yes, European starling...

Dan Kopp

Sacramento

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Dan Kopp
Sacramento

Many dreams come true, and some have silver linings; I live for my dream and a pocketful of gold...

i doubt its a starling.... lite colored eyes, and dark legs? the picture is so small, that is all i can see, cant see the tail length, but ..and if he is  breeding age,  with yellow beak, he would be typical starling  colors... not black...can you get a bigger picture?..i see this is a webshot  thumbnail.. can you send the full image you downloaded there, or the link so we can look there? thanks....

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http://whatbird.com/forums/photos/early_summers_birds/
IM: oldguyrich

Hi -

Pic is too small for me to see, but the written account sounds exactly like a European Blackbird. Very common over here in The Netherlands. In fact when I first moved over from NJ (USA) I had to look it up - these strange black birds with yellow birds that hopped along and acted just like robins. And the singing! Even at night - finally I understood that Paul MCartney song 'Blackbird singing in the dead of night'. Must be an escapee.

No, this isn't a European Starling, or a Eurasian Blackbird. Catmadden, you posted this same photo on BirdForum.net, and I doubt that you will get any different answers here. The truth is, no such bird exists in California. As people deduced on BirdForum, this is almost definitely a Brewer's Blackbird. I think you will have to get a better photo of the bill, if it actually is yellow.

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I agree with Tim.birdboy. A Brewer's blackbird. Even in the photo the bill does not look yellow, and if the pale eye is visible surely a yellow bill would too. It is not at all like a european blackbird, which is a thrush, and its shape more strongly suggests an american blackbird. Eamonn

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Eamonn