Yellow-headed Blackbird

Status Rare vagrant, very rare in winter. The first occurrence for Nova Scotia was on 5 October 1901 (Bouteillier 1901) and another was seen there the next year on 16 September. Piers considered these records as unlikely (Piers' notes), but they are in keeping with other island records (McLaren 1981a). The next to appear were individuals on or about 9 September 1956, one on Bon Portage Island (E. Richardson) and the other at Cape Sable light (B.F. Smith). Since then almost 80 have been reported. Seven have been in spring between 17 April and 10 June. The rest have been autumn migrants, annual since 1975. They can first appear surprisingly early in the season (average 28 August, earliest 13 August; the exact date of a July 1980 bird at Lower West Pubnico, Yarmouth County, was not published). Most have been recorded in September (11 in August, 29 in September, 10 in October, 3 each in November and December) and a number have tarried into or through the winter, generally at feeding stations (2 have been first seen in January, 6 in February, 21 on 2 March and 1 on 22 March). Many of these sightings have been on our well-monitored islands, but others have been seen from Yarmouth County to Cape Breton Island, and a few have been photographically documented.

Remarks This western blackbird is unmistakable in any plumage, although we rarely see fully yellow-headed adult males. It has been expanding its range and now breeds sporadically in the Great Lakes region. It is one of the more regularly reported western vagrants on the Atlantic coast.