I always like it
when birds look distinguishable, have odd markings or behavior that I recognize. This Red-winged Blackbird seems to be growing new wings on his shoulders, and I think it looks really cool and dramatic how the sheaths are slowly turning into real feathers. He did like to present himself properly, too.
As I said yesterday,
the first signs of spring are noticeable. The flock of Red-winged Blackbirds was back this morning, along with a lone Grack. It was wonderful to hear their choir sing high in the tree tops. These guys are passing through but seeing them means that spring migration has begun. Spring is my favorite season and leading into the best bird time of the year, so this is very uplifting. Have a great Saturday!
Now is a good time
to learn more about sexual dimorphism in birds, the differences in the appearance of male and female birds. Often, the young ones look very similar to the females, which helps them staying safe / less visible when there is danger. Teenage birds can be hard to tell apart. Here is a Red-winged Blackbird, looking very much like the female, but if you look closely, you can see some reddish tones shooting in on the shoulders in the second photo, beginnings of the famous red epaulets of the males.
So much is happening
with clock changes, temperatures rising and spring arriving. I am pumped for the week!
Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds
are still arriving or maybe even just passing through, but there are more each day, and the air is filled with their trills and snarls and calls. It is funny how certain sounds get you into a certain mood, and the songs and calls of these birds definitely have that effect. They are harbingers of spring.
