Tag Archives: red-winged blackbird

Fearless Red Wing Blackbirds

Most of the animals in the park are pretty accustomed to the humans.  Provided we remain a reasonable distance away, they are comfortable getting on with their lives.  Get too close, and they will be spooked.  The exception to this rule is red-winged blackbirds.  They really seem to be quite blasé about the humans.  Stand on the boardwalks and they might come and land on the handrail next to you and wander up alongside you.  Sudden movements might scare them, but steady movements won’t phase them at all.  While watching other wildlife, you can almost not realize that they are there.  I find my phone is the best option for getting images because they are too close for the regular set up.

Ride the White Swan (Or Great Blue Heron)

In some previous posts I have discussed how aggressive the red-winged blackbirds can be towards the great blue herons.  The herons are quite happy to eat the chicks of the blackbirds, so the aggression is justified.  One of the herons was flying in my direction when a blackbird swooped down at it.  It came in from above and behind and started to attack the heron.  I got a sequence of shots as this evolved and my favorite is one where it actually looks like the blackbird is riding the heron.  If only it had some reins!

Red-Winged Blackbird Versus A Heron

The herons at Juanita Bay are not universally popular.  The red-winged blackbirds are not keen on them at all and, since it seems that the herons may have raided one or more of the nests, it isn’t hard to see why.  The blackbirds will get quite aggressive at trying to drive the herons away from their nests.  I have seen them do this on more than one occasion.  At one point, I got some video of a heron getting attacked by two of the blackbirds although it wasn’t keen on leaving its fishing spot.  Usually, though, the herons decide to move on rather than take the abuse.

Red-Winged Blackbirds Are Fearless But Stupid

When we lived in Chicago, I first became acquainted with red-winged blackbirds.  The red flashes on the wings are fine but they have a terribly annoying call and they get quite aggressive when you get close to their nests.  There are a lot of them in Juanita Bay and I have to say that they are clearly not the sharpest tools in the shed.  They build their nests very close to the heavily trafficked areas where people walk.  There is a lot of space in the park but they build nests within feet of the boardwalk.

The result of this is that they are constantly freaking out about how close everyone is to their nest.  They fly up on to the boardwalk, swoop around the heads of people and land on the handrails right next to you.  It is quite fun to have them so close (except when they start with the calls) but you would think that they would have made life slightly easier for themselves by building a nest just slightly further away from everyone!