Red-winged Blackbirds at Ridgefield

Up Close and Personal

During the spring of 2008, I decided to try my hand at some close-ups of redwings, especially the males.

Close-up view of a male red-winged blackbird singing at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Close-up view of a male red-winged blackbird as he sings while perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Close-up view of a male red-winged blackbird as he sings in the rain while perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Close-up view of a male red-winged blackbird perching on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Close-up view of a male red-winged blackbird at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Close-up view of a male red-winged blackbird preening one of its wings at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Close-up view of a male red-winged blackbird as he perches on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Bulking Up

I'm no expert, but I think steroid use at Ridgefield is getting out of control.

Redwing Parents

Early Start

The first step to raising young is to stake out your territory and find a mate. Male red-wings get an early start, both in the time of the year and the time of day. Even before winter has yielded to spring, the males at Ridgefield can be seen singing from the cattails in all kinds of weather. Arrive at sunrise when the refuge opens and the males will already be up to greet you in song.

A male red-winged blackbird sings from a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Male red-winged blackbird sings on a foggy winter morning at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

A female red-winged blackbird perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Giving the Boys the Business

While her mate was singing from the tops of the cattails, this female was often out of sight down in her nest. When anything flew into her airspace, however, she popped right up and chased off the intruders. It didn’t matter if they meant her or her eggs any harm, everything from yellowthroats to wrens to sparrows to yellow-headed blackbirds got the heave ho. I spent many hours watching her little patch of the marsh and had to work quickly to get photographs of the other birds before she’d chase them off.

I found the deference shown by the yellow-headed blackbirds the most curious as they were physically larger. They’d fly over to sing, she'd immediately go after them, they’d give her a bewildered look before heading back to the quieter interior of the marsh. After a few weeks of getting hassled, one male yellow-head did return the fight and they squabbled in the air for a while. I thought the larger bird would win over the female red-wing, but her wingman (her mate) joined the fray and the yellow-head retreated to safety.

Mouthful

When the young are born, males spend less time vocalizing from the tops of the cattails and more time on the ground gathering food for their little ones. This male had gathered a mouthful of caterpillars but still couldn't resist the urge to call out before popping down into the nest. He kept his mouth closed and didn't extend his body like he usually would have, so I was surprised at how loud the call was.

A male red-winged blackbird collects insects on a rainy day to take back to his nest

The Good Father

Despite the pouring rain, this male red-winged blackbird collected a beakful of bugs to take back to the nest. Both redwings and yellowheads, male and female alike, heavily worked this section of Long Lake to feed the relentless hunger of their young.

Two Techniques

This female was hunting for insect larvae in the shallows of Long Lake on the auto tour. A song sparrow was also working this area but each bird had a different approach. The blackbird would pry with her beak looking for meals to take back to her nest, while the smaller sparrow would kick with its legs to uncover its prey.

Two techniques, both quite successful.

A female red-winged blackbird hunts for insect larvae at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Redwing Fledglings

A red-winged blackbird fledgling perched in a patch of cattails at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Why They Go To All This Trouble

Redwings spend a lot of effort raising their young, from when they start staking out their territory, defending their nest, to feeding the hatchlings. This is the reason for all that effort, a fledgling that flew a few feet from the nest, paused for a few seconds, then flew right back to the safety of the nest. As with many species of birds, both male and female hatchlings resemble the adult female in coloration, but one look at the over-sized eyes and beak tells you this youngster hasn’t been out and about for long.

A red-winged blackbird fledgling grabs a quick nap between feedings by its mother

Sleep While You Can

A white-browed fledgling grabs a quick nap in between feedings by its mother. The nap lasted literally for just seconds as at the slightest sound it was heads up and mouth open, not wanting to lose a single meal to its nearby sibling.

Growing Fat (and Fast)

By late spring Long Lake fills with frenetic blackbirds, yellow-headed and red-winged alike, the adults hunting insects to feed to their fledglings, the fledglings begging for more! more! more! with mouths wide open. There are plenty of insects in the shallows of the lake with which the parents can stuff their bills and soon enough the the fledglings are filling out. They can look rather plump with their feathers fluffed out for warmth, but even so these fledglings clearly had parents who were on top of keeping those gaping maws stuffed with beaks full of bugs.

A close-up view of red-winged blackbird fledgling

A red-winged blackbird fledgling squaks for more food at Long Lake in Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Redwings on Display

Halt! Who Goes There!

I didn't make it out to Ridgefield much in early 2009 but snuck in some visits in May to enjoy one of my favorite rites of the spring, the uniformed redwings patrolling the edges of the marsh.

A male red-winged blackbird sits atop cattails during the fall at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Not Quite Yet

It was a bit early yet for the redwings to start staking out their territory at the edge of South Quigley Lake, my favorite spot to photograph these beautiful birds up close. Still, when I arrived at Ridgefield in the late fall with a new camera to test, I couldn't resist a shot of a blackbird near the edge. I wasn't quite quick enough and missed him in full song, in a few months he might have given me an encore performance that would give me a second chance.

But not now. Not quite yet.

Male red-winged blackbird flaring his shoulder patches

Male red-winged blackbird singing while perched on a cattail

Male red-winged blackbird sings on a rainy day

Male red-winged blackbird perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Male red-winged blackbird sings while perched in a tree at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Male red-winged blackbird sings while perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Male Redwings

Male red-winged blackbird at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Fortress

Watching this redwing brought back memories of a favorite activity from my childhood: building forts. Couch cushions, pillows, bedsheets — Alexander the Great couldn't have breached the strongholds we created. While this redwing didn't build his little fortress, he certainly seemed fond of playing in it. While the other males were singing and displaying from the tops of the cattails, this one spent a lot of time near the ground in the little turret at the top of the fort, occasionally hopping around to various other parts to survey the landscape, before returning to peer out from on high.

I'm not sure if his fort impressed the ladies, but it made me instantly jealous.

Do I still build forts? No, of course not, I'm all grown up now. The cushions were like that when I found them.

Female Redwings

A female red-winged blackbird perches on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

A female red-winged blackbird preens on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

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July 27, 2011