Brewer’s Blackbird (sketch by Heath Massey)
A fairly common bird in Golden Gate Park, the Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) is easily recognizable by it’s bright yellow eyes and blue-black plumage. The iridescent blue-green sheen of the male is gorgeous in the sunlight, belying the dull-sounding “blackbird.” Often lined up on telephone wires or flying in flocks that gracefully rise and fall, these birds are well adapted to urban parks. But sometimes they miscalculate. Here’s a funny video of a Brewer’s blackbird defending an ill-considered choice of real estate in Golden Gate Park (near Stow Lake). The video was made by Mila Zinkova in June, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qQcM9yytSI#t=27
golden gate park: views from the thicket 
so gorgeous are your sketches. i remember too long ago I was watching a student painter, busy on the street painting a tree and used only green for the tree. some guy (probably the teacher) was yelling saying the painter was BLIND, because if they could SEE, they would see that trees aren’t just GREEN, but many different shades, and other colors. YOU obviously are very talented and know that nothing is just one color.
have I mentioned how gorgeous your sketches are??? thanks so much for sharing this and all your wonderful words and art
I’m so glad you are enjoying these posts! Thanks for your enthusiasm!
Great sketch and very funny film. The uniform reaction was to duck. Reminded me of being attacked by Caspian Terns in a breeding colony. We had to pad our hats with wadded paper to keep them from drawing blood.
Tony is right on!!!
Love it. I’ve been attacked more than once at the very spot in that video! I love your sketch showing the variable colors of these “black” birds. When we moved to SF from Portland, where starlings were all the rage, we had to pull out the bird books to see what these guys were…
Thanks. Starlings are beautiful too, I think.