Tricolored Blackbird at Willms Pond in the Prairielands

One has to start somewhere. I've noticed that the first chance I ever have to shoot a new species, it is usually under less than ideal conditions, and the pictures are not to my own "stringent" standards (really, I have pretty low standards for pictures). We were out on the prairielands last week, and I had some pretty nice results, between seeing a Burrowing Owl for the first time in years, getting close-ups of a Western Meadowlark, some Horned Larks, and some nesting Tree Swallows. I was on the lookout, however, for a new species.

Tricolored Blackbirds are very similar to the Redwinged Blackbirds, which range across North America, numbering in the tens of millions. The Tricolors are almost a California endemic, found outside the state only in northern Baja, and at some widely scattered nesting sights in eastern Oregon and Washington. Their population is estimated at a few hundred thousand at most and falling, in part because of an unfortunate nesting habit. They prefer to nest in large colonies in open grassy fields, with nests only a few feet apart from each other. In a number of unfortunate cases, those nests were in wheat or alfalfa fields, and the fields were mechanically harvested before the nestlings could escape destruction. The population dropped so precipitously that they were declared an endangered species in California just a few years ago.

Efforts to protect the birds included payments to farmers with large colonies in their pastures to delay the harvest a few weeks. Cooperation has helped to stabilize the population, but they are still in trouble.

Birders had reported that dozens of Tricolored Blackbirds had take up residence at the small stockpond on Willms Road where Mrs. Geotripper and I like to watch for wildlife, so we stopped and waited to see who was out and about. The blackbirds were making a lot of noise in the reeds across the pond, but they only occasionally popped out. It took the highest zoom and a bit of luck to get the pair of shots of unmistakable Tricolors. The white band under the red is the distinguishing feature.

The Redwinged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were out in force as well, and they weren't nearly as bashful as the Tricolors. So, to make up for fuzzy and distant shots of my target species, I've thrown in a couple of close-ups of their close cousins.

The Willms Road pond is especially pretty this time of year, overflowing with water, and surrounded by grassy hills. The owners are kind enough to provide access for fishing and birdwatching, so if you check it out, please be courteous and pick up any garbage that you come across.

Red-wing Blackbirds at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

Yeah, spring is just a few weeks away. We were out at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge a few weeks ago, and the Red-wing Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were out in force, wing epaulets blazing bright red and yellow, singing their hearts out.

These birds can be hard to photograph, not because they are particularly shy (they're not), but because their black feathers absorb the light, and one has trouble getting anything but a black shape. Luckily, the sun was behind us and reflected well off their feathers.

The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge preserves the small percentage that remains of the vast wetlands and prairie that once existed across the Great Valley of California. It is a fascinating place to visit and to speculate on the changes we've made to the valley. It was so very nice to see water again in the places that have been so dry for the last five years (the refuges tend to be on the low end of priority when water is divvied out in California).

The birds appreciated the water too...

A Doomed Romance in One Act, and Red-winged Blackbirds at the Willms Road Pond

Well, the romance was over quickly. One display of those bright red shoulder epaulets from the Red-winged Black Bird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and the Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) was completely unimpressed. Off to greener pastures for both of them.

We were on our short excursion on Willms Road near Knights Ferry in the Sierra Nevada foothills when we stopped at our favorite little stock pond out on the California prairie. There are usually some interesting birds hanging out, including the Kingbird in the above drama. We almost always see a crowd of Red-winged Blackbirds in the tules and rushes.

The Red-winged Blackbirds are hard to photograph. It's not so difficult to get the bright flash of the red shoulder epaulettes, but unless the light is just right the black body is featureless. I got lucky with a couple of shots this time, with the sunlight reflecting off the feathers of the breast and head of this individual.

The Blackbirds have a melodic song that is sometimes a high-pitched whistle. The males seem to always be busy trying to catch the attention of the ladies. I guess it is the equivalent of catcalls from construction workers in New York...

The stock pond on Willms Road (two or three miles south of Knights Ferry on Highway 108/120) is our local barometer for the severity of the drought. Most years in late April or May, the hills here are still green, but not so much this year. Compare how it looked in March. The pond has water, but perhaps not as much as it should (it's sometimes hard to judge, as the outlet has suffered some erosion damage so it may not be possible to completely fill the pond anymore). It's one of our favorite spots for a few minutes of serenity that's not all that far from home.

Red-winged Blackbird at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

On our travels north this week, we had the opportunity to explore a new (for us) wildlife refuge, the Sacramento complex just off Interstate 5 near Willows in the Great Valley. A six mile long auto loop allowed access to a variety of environments. Thousands upon thousands of birds were there, as well as a few deer.

The Snow Geese will undoubtedly be featured here before long, but today we have some Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) that were hanging out in the cattails and reeds.  Their wings weren't as red as they are in springtime, as they aren't trying to catch the eyes of the ladies so much.

The Red-winged Blackbirds are common across the United States, but although there are tens of millions of them, they have declined in number by about 30% over the last five decades, presumably because of habitat destruction. Their close relatives the Tri-colored Blackbird are in serious danger in our Great Valley, with only 300,000 of them left.

The last picture is a juvenile male. It's more of a brown color with buff wing tips. In a few months, the birds will be black all over, and competing with each other for territory and females.

Bird of the Day: Red-winged Blackbird in the Mini-wilderness

Back to a "normal" life after three straight weekends on the road. I've had a tiny bit more time to wander the outer reaches of the west campus and "mini-wilderness". With the beginning of the autumn season, more birds have been showing up. Today's guest is a Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) roosting on the tree above the pond in the mini-wilderness. Although there is a nice cattail thicket by the pond, it's been several months since I've seen any Red-wings on campus.

I've found it difficult to photograph the Red-winged Blackbirds. Their absolute black color trips up the auto-focus on my camera, and they tend to be very active and a little restive if I get too close. This one was being cooperative, mainly because I was probably 200-300 feet away using my most extreme zoom!