[Birdtalk] Re: GBYBC and Red-wings

[Ryan O'Donnell]

Jim and others:
 
I saw a flock of 100+ Red-winged Blackbirds - all males as far as I
could tell - in the willows behind the Logan Fish Hatchery last weekend.
Many of them were singing and showing off bright red shoulder patches.
Yesterday I saw a mixed flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer's
Blackbirds, Eurpoean Starlings, and surprisingly, one Mallard foraging
among some cows just East of the Logan Sewage Ponds.  I estimate there
were at least 100 Red-winged Blackbirds in this group as well but this
time about 10:1 females to males.  This year I saw Red-winged Blackbirds
on January 1st (I wasn't keeping as close of attention before that) and
have seen them regularly since, often in large numbers.  The Logan CBC
recorded 702 back in December.  If it's a mirage, you're certainly not
the only one being fooled.  I think the GBYBC just has their filters set
wrong.
 
-Ryan
 
Ryan P. O'Donnell
Department of Biology and the Ecology Center
Utah State University
5305 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-5305
 
http://200birds.blogspot.com/