21 September 2008, Rodeo Lagoon, Marin Headlands, Marin County, California. Today I led my ornithology class on a field trip to Rodeo Lagoon. There we met Dominik Mosur who told us about a Yellow-headed Blackbird near the mouth of the lagoon. We located it in the parking lot where the bird was quite cooperative. This species breeds sparingly in the interior of California, but is a decided rarity along the California Coast. This is one of very few individuals I have seen in Marin County. The rather large size, small white spots on the wing, and yellow scaling extending onto the lower breast help identify this bird as a male. The female-like head pattern with dark mask further identify this individual as an immature. The genus is monotypic. No subspecies are recognized. Panasonic DMC-LZ5 / Nikon FS 3 / 30XWA / hand-held, no adapter.