Birdygal62
New member
I am an intermediate birder visiting a relative in Rockport Texas. I saw a flicker of red color outside the window near the bird feeder and dashed outside. The bird flew towards my rental car and landed on the hood. It stood there briefly and then took off flying towards the "basin"/Key Allegro. I did not really see where it went, losing sight of it quickly. The bird was jet black with a dark beak. It had a red chest. Just it's chest. I did not have binoculars on hand and so did not see detail. I entered black bird, red chest, in google and the only thing that looks like it is the red breasted meadowlark. This is a bird from Costa Rica and other neighboring countries! I am absolutely sure of what I saw. It was standing still on the car hood in the bright sun. I figure it is a caged pet that escaped. If it were blown up here by a storm, there are so many bird watchers in Rockport that someone would have reported it. I am just putting this out there because it was such an unusual experience and so others keeps their eye out. The siting was mid-day 4/26/17. The place was very near the intersection of Glass Ave. and Sorenson Drive. There is another report of one of these birds in Florida, which was also assumed to be one that had been kept as a pet and had escaped.