Unidentified black birds and industrial espionage

[hillshepherd <hillshepherd@skybest.com>]

Dear carolinabirds:

I can not resist a comment or two on the posts made by Lisa G. and Russ
Palmieri recently regarding, in order, being suspected of industrial
espionage while birding and a unidentified "Magpie" in asheville.

I have birded in rural areas in N.C. since the early 1960's, and thus had a
number of encounters with uncomprehending and/or suspicious types, most of
whom were chewing tobacco. Though I have never been accused of industrial
espionage, I have been accused of being a peeping tom, of poaching, of
trying to rustle cattle, of surveying (!) without a license, and of
trespassing while on a state-maintained road. It goes with the territory.
My most memorable, and most potentially life-threatening such birding
experience, however, involved my pursuit of my "Life Bird" Worm-Eating
Warbler in May of 1971 near the bucolic community of Mt. Tirzah in Person
County when I nearly walked into a operating moonshine still. I got the
bird, and luckily the two guys filling up the gallon jugs had their backs
turned and I was able to slip back into the rhododendron unnoticed. Believe
me, being accosted by a security guard pales in comparison.

I can't add anything to the comments made already about the "Magpie",
except that I have seen rarely crows with white patches in the wing or
breast. On Tuesday of this week, however, I had my own unidentifiable black
bird, which has left me baffled. In late afternoon, I saw an approaching
crow-sized blackbird while stacking firewood. Mentally this I pigeonholed a
a crow, until I realised that the flight pattern was wrong. As the bird got
closer, within 150 meters or so, I could see that the head and bill were
narrower (in profile) and longer than a crow, and the wings were "bent"
much as a tern's wings are in flight. Tail shorter than crow, very steady
deep wingbeats, flight pattern was NOT that of a crow. Overall, a tern-like
silhouette. The bird was nearly solid black, though there appeared to be
some lighter feathers on the breast or throat. Before this bird had
disappeared to the north, towards the New River, another came into view,
followed the same course, and disappeared to the North behind it. These
weren't crows, ravens, pileated woodpeckers, or vultures, all of which are
common here in Alleghany County at 3000' elevation. Light was good, though
this is a naked eye sighting. I am clueless. We have had Black Terns on
very rare occasions in spring, but this bird appeared much larger. Does
anyone have any suggestions? There are odd black birds out there.

James Coman
Stoney Knob Farm
Piney Creek, N.C. 28663