Red-Winged Blackbird at Breakfast

One of the ways I know it is spring is by the return of the birds. I saw and heard my first red-winged blackbird at Millbrook Marsh in the early part of March. On this morning, I saw and heard quite a few more.

They are beautiful birds, very dark and plush and touchable looking. And those fancy red and yellow epaulets on the shoulders make them stand out. The cry, though, is unmistakable. Once you've heard it, you'll never forget it.

This particular bird was sitting at the tops of the cat-tails, very excitedly removing the floof, which I presumed it was eating for breakfast. It had floof everywhere, flying on the breeze, hanging out of its mouth, even bits of floof around the eyes. That's what we like to see: an enthusiastic eater! :-) Hello, floof-face!

The song to accompany this has to be about a face. So here are Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, with My Brave Face.

P.S. Learn more about red-winged blackbirds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website.