[Steven]

My Dad recently saw what he is sure was a Crow with a bright yellow bill (upper and lower!)
This was in the North East corner of Salmon Arm close to Coyote Park...
Any one else seen this fellow , or have any thoughts?
I know similar sightings have occurred in upstate New York ...
just sayin' :)
Cheers and Happy Springtime
Steven A.

[birdergirl]

Did your dad get a picture? It is probably a starling he saw:) If he found an Alpine Chough everyone would take off work to be there tomorrow

Cheers,

Mel

[Steven]

Thank you Mel :
We are obviously 'Online' , and did a little 'looking around', before we posted . If there was the slightest, remotest, obscurest chance that he saw a Starling , I would not have posted this request!!!
We have several Crows in a small family that regularly nest in our Douglas Fir thicket , We do have a general idea of what a Crow looks like... that being said , I haven't seen it yet , and Dad hasn't seen it again... so that's what prompted me to reach out...
I did see a Bald Eagle in downtown Toronto about 3 weeks ago tho if that makes up for anything!!
cheers
>S<

[LoganLalonde]

Could it have been an immature Bald Eagle? Their body is dark coloured like a crow, and in some stages of plumage have a yellow bill.

[Steven]

Thanks Logan , We have Bald Eagles very close to us here too , so no chance !! the size difference is just way too great .... I should have mentioned that the Bird my Dad saw was quite close , ie in the trees outside our windows !

But happy birding to you too !
Steven

[Doug]

Maybe it was a stray yellow-billed chough.

[mcrosbie]

Just "putting my oar in". I just looked at images online of yellow-billed choughs and they do look a lot like crows with yellow bills. The only thing is, they don't live in British Columbia, unless, like you say, it is a "stray."

[Chargers]

Hello Steven

I am from a little village called Bewdley, it is located in Ontario. And I know it's been quite a few years since you've posted about the Alpine cough. Two days ago Aug 2/22, I think maybe a friend of your dad's landed on my deck. It is not a starling... I fully believe that it is the Alpine Cough. It is the size of a very healthy Crow, maybe even a little bigger, it was jet black but the beak was amazing, a very vibrant yellow and the beak is quite wide. No I did not get a picture unfortunately. And I don't know if your dad felt the same way, but when I saw it I knew that I was seeing something special! So the bird is on a journey to find more like himself. If it's the same bird, heads up East coast. Hopefully it finds a new kind of love along the way!
Amy