and saw my first Red-winged Blackbirds.A male was singing away. When singing to defend the territory or to attract a female the male fluffs the red epaulettes and half-spreads his wings to show off the red to the full extent.
A bird dive-bombed me, narrowly missing the top of my head.
The second time, it took some of my hair.The Red-winged Blackbirds' nest is an open cup woven of grass or marsh vegetation and wet leaves, filled with mud and lined with fine grass. It is woven between several stems, often over water. I consulted the Audubon field guide and I believe it's a female Red-winged Blackbird.
5 comments:
Yes, we have red-winged blackbirds here. We have a couple of swamps... They are fun to watch.
Red-winged blackbirds come to our backyard bird feeder. The male sings a different song from the trilling song he sings when he is on his territory. This song is a sharp whistle, which seems to call other red-winged blackbirds to the feeder. They all show up. I was so surprised to see how different the female looks from the male.
Hope you are enjoying your pacific northwest journey. The weather has been very cool, hasn't it?
So one of the hairs from your head now adorns a redwinged blackbird's nest? Cool!
So glad you got to see your red-wings! You caught some great photos!
I once saw the red-winged black birds in Wisconsin, and they are indeed nice. Never heard them singing though, but I know the European black birds singing in the evening from the top of the roof. For me that is the manifestation of the summer and my childhood. Looks like you have a very nice trip there.
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