I’ve had a difficult time being able to get a good clear photo of a red-winged blackbird. Recently I was in my kayak in the Gull River, and was able to get some photos of some female red-winged blackbirds. These ones were guarding their nests in the marshy area.
They almost look like a large, dark sparrow.
The males were just flitting in and out at times, so I wasn’t able to get a good one of a male. This one was hiding further in the rushes. You can see that he doesn’t look at all like the female.
Males can have as many as fifteen female mates. They spend most of their time defending their territories. I was surprised to find out that the oldest recorded was 15 years, 9 months old.
The female weaves her nest around some upright stems. I never saw any nests, but the females were making sure they were keeping an eye on me and “standing guard”.
God wants us to be on guard and stand firm in our faith. He is the One who makes it possible for us to do this.
