RED WING BLACKBIRD

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The Red Wing Blackbird is the sound of the salt marsh. They are plentiful birds that spread a chorus song through the swaying grass, a very common sound along salt rivers and tributaries to the bay. 

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Male Red wing's are a jet-black with red-and-yellow wing patches. I remember specifically the first time I recognized one as a small girl, the bright fire colors sent me chasing after it. They catch your eye more easily with their vibrancy and tendency to skitter about on the tops of grasses. I kind of would relate them as "showboaters" although they won't take to humans coming close- they dance about the marsh unconcerned of predators. They are fairly fiesty for such a small bird. 

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Summer is the breeding season where they create nests in low places, in the thick of marsh grass- like the base of a cat tail. Their nests are fascinating as they are usually intricately made by weaving together marsh grasses and compacted mud. The eggs are a pale-gray color with almost like a marble marking on them. 

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