Badass Bird with an Attitude

Seems I started a riot this morning. Unintentionally, of course, but a bona fide uprising nonetheless. It all began innocently enough on my morning meander through the park. To be truthful, I was on a mission of sorts. It’s been a couple weeks since finding the Red-winged Blackbird nest, and I was curious about its status.

Sadly (for me), the water levels had risen considerably and the nest was inaccessible. Crawling though cattails is one thing, swimming is quite another. Not an option. So, I continued my walk around the pond, enjoying the quiet beauty of the morning. Until chaos flashed.

Now, if there were a field guide to Badass Birds, the Red-winged Blackbird would clearly make the cut. They’ve got a couple of strategies at the ready for predators - even for an unsuspecting, non-threatening, slowly-sauntering woman like me.

Operation Distract and Divebomb was about to begin. All at once, a pair of blackbirds erupted from the willows, squawking and scolding. Soon the whole place cried “Intruder” - alerting me that I had happened upon another nest.

Because Red-winged Blackbirds nest in loose colonies - I had not just stirred up a pair, but the whole darn flock. Red-winged Blackbirds are polygynous, which means that one male will mate with several females - with up to 15 females in a nesting territory!

The parents and surrounding clan had gone into full anti-predator mode, shouting at me in bird speak - using this distraction in effort to draw attention to them and not the nest. My eyes searched desperately for the nest, because I knew that if verbal chastising fails, the next defensive strategy is the physical dive-bomb - not high on my list.

More importantly, nesting is a high-energy, demanding season. These new parents and nestlings were vulnerable. I certainly didn’t want to add stress to their lives, so I rapidly retreated, bravely snapping a few photos as I went. Through the shaky lens I spied three, tiny, downy-covered chicks, their beaks cresting just over the nest edge.

Lately, life has had me on edge. Social distancing fuels isolation. Society’s masked faces conceal the welcoming warmth of a smile. And that saddens me. Yet, somehow, seeing life from a bird’s perspective reminds me, that our need for connection reaches beyond the human species. Life  - whether attired in feathers or sheathed in skin - is necessary. And fragile. And special. We all live, breathe and share space on this planet we call home.

That bird with an attitude changed mine. I walked away a bit wiser. And humbled. And that, my friends, is the power of nature.

Have a Bluebird Day!

Carol