Saturday, June 12, 2010

Red Winged Blackbirds

The Red Winged Blackbirds love to nest in the cattails growing around the edge of the settling pond below Kristina's neighborhood. There must be 20 pairs down there this time of year. I guess it's a pretty safe nesting site, away from most predators, except perhaps the occasional water snake or moccasin. They also have an elaborate warning system. If anything very big, like me, comes anywhere near, they start screaming their heads off.
The males make elaborate displays of flying from perch to perch, not near the nest I'm sure, all the while yelling at you at the top of their little lungs.
If you still aren't scared off, they will soar up overhead, screaming, "Get outta here!" They will practically hover about 30 feet directly over your head, until their wings are exhausted. Then they will fly off to some remote perch, rest a minute, and go at it again.
Fortunately, I don't think they dive bomb you and peck at your head like Mockingbirds do.


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