Yardbird # 18, the Lady

I first blipped a Red-winged Blackbird male on March 18 - a rather special guy who I still see almost daily in the yard, usually in the company of 7 or 8 other males.  Females in the yard are rare right now, probably because they are already starting on nests in the nearby marsh.  Females also look completely different than the males, smaller and a streaky brown with orange or yellow trim, as seen here.  Because the two are so different in appearance, I think it's worth including both in my 2018 Yardbird challenge.

And because she is perched on one of our cherry trees with big, fat buds, I'm going to go out on a limb (haha, get it?) and tag this for FlowerFriday too (I know, it's a stretch, but I think Anni will forgive me!)  I'll put a better flower shot in Extra - one with a tiny bee that I believe is in the Andrenid  family. 


It was 32 this morning and I had to de-ice the bird baths.  Yuck.  It eventually wamred into the mid-40's but windy so not all that pleasant to hang outside.  But, in 48 hours, I'll be in sunny, warm Texas!


Hubs is definitely on the mend - yay.  And Mom and Dad are back in Oregon after spending the winter in the southwest.  They are getting settled back in at their condo, so very soon I'll plan a trip out to see them.  

Hope you're all doing something fun this weekend.

xo
Debbi