Red-winged Blackbirds Like Wetlands

Though you'll also find them in meadows, Red-winged Blackbirds are also quite happy in a wetlands environment. It sounds like there can be insects hiding near the base of some aquatic plants, and that Red-winged Blackbirds are fairly adept at finding/eating them. And of course there are usually insects flying around near water too, some of which also potentially end up as blackbird snacks. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this Red-winged Blackbird was poking around this vegetation specifically to scare up a tasty bug.

I'm sure Red-winged Blackbirds would happily eat a cooperative bluet, though I also suspect that most of the time damselflies and dragonflies are a little too quick and maneuverable to end up as a blackbird snack.

As birds that like to feed near water, it should come as little surprise they're also comfortable nesting near water. The females will usually find some dense vegetation near or within water and build a nest relatively close to the ground there. One day a number of years ago I saw a couple Red-winged Blackbirds divebombing a Great Blue Heron that I'm assuming was foraging too close to 1 of those nests. Great Blue Herons would certainly eat eggs or nestlings if it spotted them. (I didn't watch long enough to see how the confrontation played out, though my guess is that the heron decided it was too annoying to forage there and ended up leaving.)

June 13, 2023 at Washington Valley Reservoir
Photo 300988711, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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