Red-Winged Blackbirds

Dear Ted and Jody:

I got up with the prospect of only a 56% cloud cover, which normally means a break in the eastern sky for color to develop. This morning it was more like a 156% cloud cover. How is that possible? It isn’t, but it was darker than dark and so once again the reliable weather app was unreliable. I did drive to the boat ramp, but the level of activity at 4:30 there indicated to me that even if there was a photo opportunity, the light pollution (line of cars with headlights on vehicles waiting their turn to launch boats) would overwhelm it. So, I simply came home. This morning was then one of the rare mornings that I climbed back under the covers and slept for another 2 ½ hours. (Ah, at least a total of 8 hours sleep on a summer night. Avery rare event until late August.)

I read an article about red-winged blackbirds in Kentucky this morning. https://nkytribune.com/2024/03/art-landers-outdoors-the-red-winged-blackbird-is-a-native-species-rarely-observed-up-close/

While the article did not tell me that they live about 2 years, nor about non-mating males (males with only red on their wing and not the pale yellow); it did tell me that once hatched the young (3 or at most 5 [but 5 rarely] in a brood) leave the nest after 11 to 14 days. It described nesting habitat (an accurate description of the “area just to the north of the 1/3^rd of a mile on WA504 where I usually walk (trying not to get run over by a vehicle) for evening images—marsh with cattails) and how the birds behave in that habitat. The only addition I would make to the article is that the red-winged blackbirds will hop from one Lilly pad to another, often using their beak to lift the edge of an adjacent Lilly pad in search of water bugs. But then, perhaps where the author of the article observed them might not have had water Lillies. The article also asserted that the birds put up a ruckus when humans approach their nesting area. And, I thought, they were singing me a welcome song. I put the link to the article above as it is short and informative.

Having had 2 ½ hours more sleep after I got back home, by 9:30 the deer (and all other creatures, including red-winged blackbirds, who partake of those piles of corn) had not had any corn piles for well over 4 1/2 hours. When the motorized grange door opened (my version of a deer, duck and rabbit call) there were no “customers/diners.” As I filled cups with corn this doe (first image below) showed up and stood over one of the the spots I normally put down corn (the spots are easy to see as the pigeons flying off and clean them of small gravel from the force of wind under their wings—bare spots if you will) almost as if she had hands and had them on her hips demanding to know why I was so late. Then this out of season fawn appeared second image below). I did write to the DNR asking what caused the fawn to still have spots (or what cause a fawn to be this late) back in March, but the DNR apparently is too busy with more important things that answering a citizen’s question, so no answer. Then there are more images from last evening including a female red-winged blackbird. The last image is from yesterday morning around 7:00.

I have made a little progress on my thoughts about our Republic and do think I will be able to bore you in a few days.

In the meantime, think about the danger posed to our Republic by a significant proportion of our population believing the lies of Trump, the Republicans and FOX News.

Love, Ed