While patiently waiting for the sun to set with hopes of hearing the peent calls of American Woodcock, I digiscoped Red-winged Blackbirds at Pheasant Branch Conservancy last evening. They've quadrupled in number since my visit a few days ago and are displaying their fiery epaulettes even more vigorously. These territorial rituals have been going on for tens of thousands of years, long before there were people in North America. In fact, we've found fossils of Red-winged Blackbirds dating back 400,000 years into the late Pleistocene. Though they are common birds with a robust population (nearly 200 million individuals), they're still a spectacular creature to observe, study, and photograph.
All images © 2014 Mike McDowell