Tag Archives: red-winged blackbird

Ward’s Pond: Signs of Spring

Yesterday, on a truly spring-like day with warm temperatures and bright sunshine, we took a walk around Ward’s Pond, a small pond in Boston’s Emerald Necklace. Signs of spring abounded.

Red maples were in bloom. And our migrant birds from the south were out and about. A very noisy flock of grackles was foraging in the leaf litter.

common grackle on a branch
Common grackle

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Arboretum: Warblers and Wasps

Monday was a fine day for birding at the Arboretum. Spring migrants are everywhere to be found. I managed to see seven species of warblers alone!

I saw and heard a number of catbirds, many of them hiding inside bushes. The red underneath the tail feathers caught my attention for the first time.

Gray catbird with red under-tail feathers
Gray catbird in a redbud

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Arboretum: First Warbler of the Year

We walked the Arboretum yesterday in search of spring activity. Despite the gray skies, birds were in spring mode. We were lucky enough to see our first warbler of the year, a palm warbler, near the beech collection on Bussey Hill. The warbler migration has begun!

Early palm warbler
Early palm warbler

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Arboretum: Signs of Spring and Red-Breasted Nuthatches

We have endured a colder-than-normal winter in Boston and so any sign of spring is much celebrated. On March 1, we counted over a hundred American robins near Meadow Road in the Arboretum. While the number might be unusual, robins in and of themselves are not a true sign of spring. Many overwinter in the area.

Today, however, we saw and heard our first male red-winged blackbirds. These birds are a more reliable indicator that winter is waning. Coincidentally, today was the nicest day we have had all year, with balmy temperatures and clear skies. The cold will soon return, but so will more of the red-winged blackbirds, and spring will win out.
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Boston Harbor: Spectacle Island

On Monday, when Boston’s current heat wave was in its infancy, we took a ferry from Long Wharf to Spectacle Island, one of the many Boston Harbor Islands. Spectacle Island has gracefully taken Boston’s garbage and, recently, much of the dirt from the Big Dig. The flora is now re-establishing itself. The island features a visitor center, a sea kayak program, and a small swimming beach.

Visitor center and beach on Spectacle Island
Visitor center and beach on Spectacle Island

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Family of Red-Winged Blackbirds

It’s been a rainy June. Boston averages around three and a half inches of rain in June and we have had over ten inches of rain with more to come.

The Muddy River is starting to overflow its banks. I stopped at Willow Pond in Olmsted Park to watch a family of red-winged blackbirds. The male with its red wing-patch (partially covered in the photo below) is the most easily recognizable.

Male red-winged blackbird
Male red-winged blackbird

The female looks like a large sparrow with a white, streaked breast.

Female red-winged blackbird
Female red-winged blackbird

And I saw a juvenile in the same tree as a female.

Juvenile red-winged blackbird
Juvenile red-winged blackbird
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Arboretum: Nests and Hummingbirds

The birds in the Arnold Arboretum are now in the thick of spring. On a cool, sunny morning, I watched them build nests, sing to attract mates, and defend their territory.

Female red-winged blackbird holding straw in her beak
A female red-winged blackbird finds material for her nest

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Urban Nature Walk: Muddy River/Fenway

Jef led us on a walk along the banks of the Muddy River on a sunny, seasonal spring day. We first stopped to view some outdoor sculpture as part of the Through the Trees exhibition by studios without walls.

Through the Trees outdoor art
One of the “Through the Trees” pieces.

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Spring Birds at the Arboretum

With snow on the ground and a chill in the air, Saturday did not feel like spring. But the birds at the Arnold Arboretum were singing their spring songs. We found large concentrations of birds near the Visitor Center and around Faxon Pond.

The red-winged blackbirds, all males as far as we could tell, were singing loudly. Common grackles, another sign of spring, checked us out with those freakishly white eyes of theirs.

Red-winged blackbird
Male red-winged blackbird showing off his red wing patches.

Common grackle
Common grackle at a feeder.

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