(This is the first of regular columns about nature by BG’s Natural Resources Coordinator Chris Gajewicz.)
Each year naturalists, birders, and nature enthusiasts eagerly await spring migration. Warmer weather, longer days, and spring storms signal major movements of birds to head north to their summer breeding grounds. Casual nature observers often see their first robin of spring around this time of year. Hard core birders know that these robins have been here all along for the most part toughing out our northern Ohio winters and subsisting on fruits and berries all winter rather than the more commonly observed worm feasts in spring.
Truth be told, I know spring is here when the red-winged blackbirds finally arrive. Red-winged blackbird, (Agelaius phoeniceus), males arrive first and they can be seen setting up their territories along country roads, in wetland areas and just about anywhere cattails are growing in early March. The males are highly territorial and set up intricate invisible boundaries known only to them and other members of their species. The males aggressively display and call out to other males along these lines and chase out interlopers if necessary. In reality, they spend most of their time displaying for each other and altercations are few.
Male red-winged blackbirds are a striking jet black bird with red and yellow “epaulettes” or shoulder pads, (think George Washington’s golden shoulder pads on his uniform). When the bird is at rest, generally only the red portion can be seen. When the male is in full display, he spreads his wings and splays his tail from a sitting position, leans forward, and calls out the familiar, “KONK-la REE!”, making all the other males take notice of his grandeur and self importance. This activity continues non-stop for about three weeks until that ladies arrive.
Female red-winged blackbirds are neither red-winged nor black. They are quite honestly one of the most non-descript birds out there. Red-winged blackbirds exhibit sexual dimorphism, which means that the male and the female do not look alike in plumage. The female red-winged blackbird is roughly the same size as the male but with a brown and beige streaked pattern which makes her difficult to see in the reeds where she alone instinctively builds her nest. The male does little if anything to care for the young but continues to spend his time defending his and his mate’s territory. The female makes her nest at the base of the cattail plant just above the water level in a wet area. The female will incubate her 3-5 eggs and the young hatch after a week and a half.
Once the babies reach the fledgling stage, males and females will, for a time, engage in mixed flocking, but when the urge to migrate south in the fall takes over, the females gather and head south followed about three weeks later by the males. Males and females do not winter together and the females actually migrate hundreds of miles further south than do the males. Perhaps they have had enough to the tough guy bravado and just want some peace. In any case, look and listen for these spring migrants each March and when you start to hear their calls and see their displays, know that spring and warm weather are sure to follow them soon!
(Chris Gajewicz is the Natural Resources Coordinator for the City of Bowling Green and an instructor at Bowling Green State University. He and his wife and children love nature and hope others do the same.)
