March is now gone. If you're like me, the journey toward warm weather and spring color seems to take forever.
Early daffodils were one sign that spring will eventually arrive in all its glory. For birders, another harbinger has been the "congar-ee" calls of red-winged blackbirds at local wetlands. There's something about that scarlet and yellow wing patch that brightens up a cool, blustery day.
Redwings are members of the Icterid family of birds. Besides other "blackbirds," this group also includes grackles, cowbirds, bobolinks, meadowlarks and orioles. Only the adult male red-winged blackbird is black, while the plumage of females and young males is a sparrow-like streaky brown. Only males have the colorful epaulets, and these often are partially or completely hidden from view. They love to show them off when they are singing, though.
Field guides tell us that redwings live here year round. But they are uncommon during the coldest weeks. But in late January, you can find them feeding at local wetlands or cornfields, sometimes in flocks of several hundred that include other blackbird species, starlings or robins.
According to www.allaboutbirds.org, winter flocks can reach several million birds, with roosts spreading out as far as 50 miles during the day to feed before the birds return at dusk. During a breeding season that runs from April to August, you will find much smaller groups at individual wetlands. My observation has been that most of our local breeders disperse by mid-September, but that huge flocks of other blackbirds move through from the north as late as November.
Red-winged blackbirds are polygynous, that is the males may have several female mates. The males are extremely territorial, chasing away other males and aggressively defending nest areas against predators. But these harem-protection efforts have only limited success. As many as half the nestlings in a territory may be fathered by someone else, allaboutbirds reports.
As you might expect with this arrangement, the female pulls nest-building duty. And it's a pretty intricate process. Low in wetland vegetation, the female winds plant strings around several upright stems and weaves in decayed wood, bark and wet leaves to form a cup. She plasters the cup with mud and lines it with dry grass. Chicks leave the nest about four weeks after the eggs are laid. Meanwhile, the male sits on a perch, flashes his epaulets and sings, "conga-ree." Good places to observe redwings include Reynolda's Lake Katharine, the Bethabara wetland, Civitan Park and Tanglewood's wetland near the BMX track.
Red-winged blackbirds are among the most abundant species in North America. Yet, the population of its close cousin, the rusty blackbird, is in precipitous decline. No one is certain why, although differences in breeding habitat could be a factor. Rusty blackbirds nest primarily in Canada's wet forests but migrate to the southeastern United States for the winter season.
Rusty blackbirds can be seen from October through April, but the largest numbers pass through in mid-October and mid-March. In breeding plumage, the male is a glossy purple-black with a yellow eye, much like a grackle. The female is gray. They get their name from their nonbreeding coloration. Grackles are bigger, with a thicker bill and a longer, keel-shaped tail. Look for rusty blackbirds in wet woodlands, marshes and fields.
•Tanglewood Park is the site of the Audubon bird walk at 8 a.m. on April 9. Turn left at the Welcome Center and meet at the fields by the campground. Contact Ron Morris, ronmorris@triad.rr.com, for details. By the way, it's also time to put out your hummingbird feeders.
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