Yesterday morning, a red winged blackbird was spotted out the kitchen window. He was perched in a cottonwood tree, apparently alone. But red winged blackbirds don’t arrive alone in the spring, and it wasn’t long before we heard the calls of the rest of his flock.
When I lived in Florida, the red winged blackbirds spent the winter hanging around our pond (and other such areas), and now, in Michigan, they nest around the marshy areas in our field. It would be hard not to notice when they arrive; they travel in large flocks, and sit in the treetops chattering loudly. This year, their arrival has coincided quite exactly with the arrival of warmer weather, which has been a bit sudden this year. They seem to have timed things nicely for themselves.
