Brown-headed Cowbird

It's been two years since I've seen a Brown-headed Cowbird. We were on a quad ride to Fiddlehead Farm and one was foraging in the grassy meadow while we had our lunch. This week one came to visit for the first time at our cabin. It bounced around on the rocky cliff and then stopped by my garden float for a brief rest.

The Brown-headed Cowbird are termed brood parasitic. They lay their eggs in another bird's nest and then abandon them for the host bird to raise as their own. Because they are a larger bird, this can be disastrous for the owner's chicks.

Cowbirds are a member of the blackbird family. They originally followed bison across the praries, but now have spread across North America. Their diet consists of seeds and small insects. Hopefully this one was keeping an eye on slugs and other pests, not the new seeds in my spring garden. -- Margy