Red Winged Blackbird Babies!

I went for a walk in Shoal Lake in a park where the Oak River joins the lake. There are tall grasses at the side of the river. The river itself is little more than a creek but is a bit wider where it joins the lake. I disturbed a nest of red-wing blackbirds. The young were old enough to fly and managed to make it as far as the lower branches of nearby trees. The parents made a huge racket and flew over my head calling down curses upon me. The birds must mate as soon as they arrive to have young already on the wing. Maybe they are intending to leave early this year or perhaps they can manage two broods a year.

There are still plenty of chipping sparrows and goldfinches at the feeder as well as an occasional chickadeed. I fed the crows some chicken bones. They cleaned them up in less than half an hour.