We're all familiar with the swarms of blackbirds that appear in late fall. The mass is mostly made up of grackles, cowbirds and starlings. They blacken the sky when they rise from a field and take to the air. Their sheer numbers are awesome!
When a group settles on our runway or in the pasture to feed, we generally are tolerant. But after they've gorged and retire to the pines around our house to squawk gossip or go potty, we draw the line. I exit my house, clap my hands as loud as I can. The din ceases instantly, like when I mute the volume on the TV. Within seconds the racket begins again, along with a whir of wings as the frightened, disturbed birds lift off and depart for parts unknown.
I say unknown because normally these birds follow a leader, moving as a cluster, but as I watch I see total confusion in the conglomeration of ebony wings -- some dart east, others west. There are near mid-air collisions as the northbound suddenly decide to travel south. They stagger, swirl; I smile.
With spring now in full swing the large flocks have disappeared from our property -- thank goodness! We still have three or four crows fly in daily and a small batch of grackles, cowbirds and starlings; I can deal with those numbers.
I was daydreaming by my kitchen window recently when my "bird-brain" jolted me with, "Look closer at those blackbirds there in the yard!" I quickly focused on the group. Ah, one was a red-winged blackbird, a male with a slice of red feathers bordered in yellow on his wings, which contrasted brilliantly with his glossy black feathers.
The red-winged is a bit smaller than the grackle and a bit larger and trimmer than the cowbird. The birds are common permanent residents of our area, preferring marshes and fields rather than the city.
You'll know the red-winged is around, even though you may not see him, due to his distinctive call. His song is raspy and not at all musical, unless one considers the descending final note melodious. It goes like this, "K-o-n-g...k-a-a...r-e-e-e-e!"
Yes, I welcome the red-wingeds in my yard; can't say the same for the strutting, shiny black grackles or the dull black male cowbirds with milk chocolate heads and their females appearing to have soaked their equally dull plumage in Clorox!
Now for the biggest nuisance of the notorious blackbird gang -- communal living, slovenly nest building starlings. But viewed up close what a lovely, multi-colored, iridescent effect the male's plumage presents when it catches the sun. It's a shame they aren't as cultured as they are comely.