A Flock Of Red-winged Blackbirds On The Road
Just about everywhere you go here in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma this time of year, you will see a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds.
A great place to see them is at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Some of the flocks are very large. Here are a few photos I took back in 2010 that will give you an idea of the size of these flocks: Where’s Waldo?
Red-winged Blackbirds roost in flocks in all months of the year. In summer small numbers roost in the wetlands where the birds breed. Winter flocks can be congregations of several million birds, including other blackbird species and starlings. Each morning the roosts spread out, traveling as far as 50 miles to feed, then re-forming at night. (All About Birds)
Here is an amazing video of a large flock of Starlings by Neels Castillon a Paris-based director and photographer that I wanted to share:
5 Comments
I love the title of this Steve! I am seeing the blackbirds and starlings bunching up now.
Wow! The Red-wings are on the move…it probably won’t be long until we see them here.
None as many Red-winged blackbird over in the north central part of Arkansas. I suppose that’s because there is no crop land of any type nearby.
wonderful- and even more so that I know exactly where you took this photo if it’s within the refuge. (My Mother lived in Sallisaw and we’ll be traveling down to her home very soon) may have to hit you up for some good birding spots Steve
The best birding spot for me is the refuge. I see an eagle just about every trip and lots of hawks.