Birds

One of the things I want to do more of once the weather warms up is bird photography. Red-winged Blackbirds are one of my favorite birds because of how their rich and melodious songs fill the air in spring. The male Red-winged Blackbird pictured above was photographed at Rithet's Bog in March 2014.

Red-winged Blackbird

One of the signs of spring I enjoy most is the song of the Red-winged Blackbird. It may be territorial but to me it sounds like a love song. Maybe it's both. Yesterday morning near Esquimalt Lagoon I wandered into a group singing contest. About twenty males (one is pictured above) flitted around in the nearby blackberry brambles, all emitting piercing lovelorn warbles. There were lots of females around too and their disapproving chut chut chuts were like a counterpoint to the males' songs. It is sometimes claimed that Red-winged Blackbirds are the most numerous North American bird, numbering as many as 250 million pairs in good years. Head out to your nearest swamp or cattail marsh and you'll surely find some.

Red-winged Blackbird

Here's another old friend whose rich warbling fills the spring air - especially at Rithet's Bog, where I photographed this one on Thursday. This is a male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). I saw about a dozen of these staking out territories amongst the bullrushes that line the bog. Their song at this time of year is one of my favorite bird songs - it always sounds to me like someone just bursting with happiness.

Red-winged Blackbird

I mentioned a few days ago that I had enjoyed the rich whistles of the Red-winged Blackbirds while out at Swan Lake. Here is a photo of one of them resting between songs. If you click HERE you can hear a recorded version. It is not, however, anywhere near as rich and melodious as our Swan Lake Blackbirds so, if you live in Victoria, I suggest you go out to the lake and hear them live.

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Another of the the environments that is present in the Greater Victoria area is Rithet's Bog on the Saanich Peninsula. I went out there yesterday to see how the bog is celebrating spring. The Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were filling the air with the sweet songs that mark their territories amongst the bullrushes and were wearing their most striking plumage. Other species were also quacking, honking, chirping and singing - I saw about a dozen different kinds of birds in the few hours it took me to walk around the bog. I am happy to note that sightings included a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), a bird I have been hoping to sight ever since I heard they live in this area. The forty or so fuzzy photos I took of it as it cruised overhead are good enough for identification but not for publication.