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Posts tagged ‘red winged blackbird’

Sep 21

46 Comments

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence,
pocket full of rye,
four and twenty blackbirds
baked in a pie.
 When the pie was opened,
the birds began to sing:
isn’t that a dainty dish
to set before the King?

The King is in his counting-house
counting out his money;
the Queen is in the parlor
eating bread and honey;
the Maid is in the garden
hanging up the clothes,
 when down swoops a Blackbird
and snaps off her nose!

Cover illustration for Randolph Caldecott’s Sing a Song for Sixpence (1880)

There are many interpretations to this curious nursery rhyme, dating to the 18th century. It’s been traced to the 16th-century practice of placing live songbirds in a pie (who wouldn’t want live animals flying out of their prepared food?), to various historical events and folklorish symbols, and even to a coded message used to recruit crew members for pirate ships. Lord Byron, James Joyce, Virgina Woolf, Agatha Christie, George Orwell, and Roald Dahl all referenced the ditty, and it’s appeared in songs by The Beatles, The Monkees, Radiohead, Tom Waits, and others. Obviously this mysterious little rhyme continues to captivate our popular consciousness.

As we approach the equinox, I’m anxious to spy our returning colonies of Red-winged blackbirds — the males, glossy black with their brilliant scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches, puffing up or hiding (depending on their level of confidence), and belting out their conk-la-ree songs. And the more subdued females, with their brown colorations and clever camouflaging — so much shyer than their male counterparts.

Ever regal: Male Red-winged blackbird in the Florida wetlands

Watching over his brood… But I see YOU!

Puffin’ and hollerin’ away

And the GIRLS…

Always the shy ones: Female Red-winged blackbird in the Florida wetlands

Flittering among the reeds

Lovely girl against the shallow waters

May 7

29 Comments

Time for Empty Nest Syndrome… Or Not?

I’ve written a post or two on the Red-winged Blackbirds — common songbirds found in most of North and much of Central America, and familiar sights in our protected wetlands and Everglades. The males, glossy black with scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches, puff up or hide depending on their level of confidence. In our marshes, they’re quite brave (or protective, in defense-mode), doing their hardest to get noticed, and belting out their conk-la-ree songs. The female, subdued brown with streaks of lighter colorations, is much shyer than her male counterpart. Her brownish coloring serves to camouflage her and the nest, while she’s incubating. Staying low in the vegetation, she searches for food (eating primarily seeds and insects) and weaves her amazing nest. Constructed entirely over the course of 3-6 days — with no help from the males — the nests are woven in cattails, rushes, grasses, or in alder or willow bushes. Located near the water’s surface, the nest is a basket constructed of grasses, sedge, and mosses, lined with mud and bound to surrounding grasses or branches. I’ve watched for nearly an hour in awe, as a female patiently gathered her grasses from the surrounding wetlands — and even longer as another intricately wove her basket-nest. It’s beautifully mesmerizing (and believe me, I’m no birdwatching crackerjack). Red-winged Blackbirds nest in loose colonies, and the males serve as sentinels to guard the nests, using various calls to denote the type and severity of danger against such predators as snakes, raccoons, iguanas, and other birds.

In my recent wanderings, I first became captivated by the spectacular artwork of the Blackbirds’ bluish eggs, marked with brown and/or black Pollock splatters. Incubated by the female alone, they hatched within 11-12 days. Being a large colony, there was no dearth of nests, but it wasn’t always easy to spy the eggs in the marsh vegetation:

Red-winged Blackbird Nest with Eggs

Then I fell in love with the hatchlings: born blind and naked, they were ready to leave the nest 11-14 days after hatching. Chirping away, they were ever-protected by their parents. But time flies quickly….

Red-winged Blackbird Nest with Hatchlings

Red-winged Blackbird Nest with Hatchlings

During recent walks, I began noticing more empty nests, over which I couldn’t help feeling irrationally sad…. Other than empty nests, I spied a momma Blackbird teaching her young ones early flight — or early adventures out of their nest. Was nesting season finished? Were there to be no more Red-winged Blackbird babies?

Empty Red-winged Blackbird Nest

Empty Red-winged Blackbird Nest

Empty Red-winged Blackbird Nest

Empty Red-winged Blackbird Nest

But over yonder! What was that commotion…. Lo and behold, a new nest! The male perched sentinel nearby, always the protector, while the female made her way to the nest, to incubate her new eggs. And the cycle continues, hoorah!

Female Red-winged Blackbird on Her Way to the Nest

Red-winged Blackbird Sentinel

A new nest, with eggs!!

Red-winged Blackbird Nest with a New Momma

Apr 17

48 Comments

Red-winged Blackbirds… And Their Babies!

Another nearby nest, with hatchlings! Since Red-winged Blackbirds nest in loose colonies, there’s no dearth of nesting activity, if one’s looking closely enough in our dense marshes. This clutch consisted of three eggs — typical for the species. The eggs were incubated by the female alone, and hatched within 11 to 12 days. Red-winged Blackbirds are born blind and naked, but will be ready to leave the nest 11 to 14 days after hatching. Every time the wind rustled the leaves of this nest, the hatchlings were up and chirping for food….

Female Red-winged Blackbird Feeds the Hatchlings at Her Nest

Red-winged Blackbird Hatchlings Wait for Their Meal

Red-winged Blackbird Hatchlings Wait for Their Meal

For More Information:

Apr 16

245 Comments

Red-winged Blackbirds… And Their Nests

Red-winged Blackbirds are found in most of North and much of Central America, and are familiar sights in our wetlands. There have been claims that it is the most abundant, and most well studied bird in North America. The males, glossy black with scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches, puff up or hide depending on their level of confidence. In our marshes, they’re quite brave (or protective, in defense-mode), doing as much as they can to get noticed, and belting out their conk-la-ree songs.

Male Red-winged Blackbird

Male Red-winged Blackbird Sings

The female is a subdued brown, with streaks of lighter colorations — and much shyer than her male counterpart. Her brownish coloring serves to camouflage her and the nest, while she’s incubating. Females stay low in the vegetation, searching for food (eating primarily seeds and insects), and weaving their amazing nests. Constructed entirely over the course of three to six days — with no help from the males — the nests are located in cattails, rushes, grasses, or in alder or willow bushes. Located near the water’s surface, the nest is a basket constructed of grasses, sedge, and mosses, lined with mud and bound to surrounding grasses or branches. I’ve watched for nearly an hour in awe, as a female patiently gathered her grasses — and even longer as another intricately wove her basket-nest. It’s beautifully mesmerizing (and believe me, I’m no birdwatching crackerjack!). Red-winged Blackbirds nest in loose colonies, and their predators include snakes, raccoons, and other birds, even the small marsh wrens — and in our area, iguanas. Males serve as sentinels to guard the nest, using various calls to denote the type and severity of danger.

Female Red-winged Blackbird Builds Her Nest

Female Red-winged Blackbird Builds Her Nest

Female Red-winged Blackbird in the Marsh Grasses

Red-winged Blackbird Nest Under Construction, Green Cay Wetlands, Florida

This clutch consists of three eggs — typical for the species (2 to 4). They’re oval and smooth, of a pale bluish coloring, and marked with brown and/or black markings. The eggs are incubated by the female alone, and will hatch within 11 to 12 days. Red-winged Blackbirds are born blind and naked, but are ready to leave the nest 11 to 14 days after hatching.

Red-winged Blackbird Nest with Eggs

More pictures of the most amazing and lovely Blackbirds:

Female Red-winged Blackbird in the Marsh Grasses

Female Red-winged Blackbird in the Marsh Grasses

For More Information:

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