Early Red-winged

 

I went looking for visiting winter birds, but discovered early spring arrivals: a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds.

At first, I couldn’t spot the blackbirds in the brush, but their distinctive bubbly song told me that they had to be there. When seen, they tried to stay hidden deep in the bushes, but I finally managed a shot of one flying from one perch to another.

Wintering in the south, Red-winged Blackbirds spread into this area in March, with a handful turning up in the latter half of February. Certainly, a sighting of them here in early February is unusual.

This is one of two Red-winged Blackbirds that arrived at Duck Bay on the Nelson waterfront by the unusually early date of February 8th. It is flying to a new perch in the bushes.

 

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5 Responses to Early Red-winged

  1. Ulrike Licht says:

    Beware of the red-winged blackbirds! I was once attacked by one, when jogging on a path near Lake Ontario and the bird thought I was too close to its nest (there was no other way to go). It screamed, then flew right at me, briefly sat on my head and flew off. It was very scary. In the meantime, in some areas in Toronto they put up warning signs in the spring and summer, warning people of those bird attacks.

    • Alistair says:

      Ulrike, I didn’t know that Red-winged Blackbirds did this. Yet, I have been attacked by a female Robin when I inadvertently wandered past her hidden nest. It seems that mothers are inclined to protect their chicks.

  2. Karen Pidcock says:

    Thanks for the early reminder that spring will return!

  3. Pamella Wik says:

    Shucks, i want to be attacked by a bird; have hoped for encounters like these, preferably
    with no great injury.

    • Pamella Wik says:

      I mean, I just want them to fly into me once in a while, to fly into the window of me, rather than glass ones.

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