We've been really interested in the Wisconsin section of the Brown County Library lately. There's something exciting about reading books specific to your local area; it's nice to find out what experts think about areas you've overlooked only a stone's throw away.
Well, Luke was reading about birds in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and specifically he found out about yellow-headed blackbirds. Of course, most people are familiar with red-winged blackbirds, their populous, slightly smaller, and less awkward relatives. However, everyone I talked to had either never heard of yellow-headed blackbirds, or (in case of older generations) had seem them when they were kids some 30+ years ago.
The book recommended Sensiba State Wildlife Area in Suamico, WI, as an ideal place to find these birds.
Luke and I like marshes (you may remember my previous blog post about the Oconto Marsh). They're the perfect places to visit if you only have a little bit of time but want to see a wide variety of wildlife. In this case, the yellow-headed blackbirds like the security of the deeper marshes, and they kick out the red-winged blackbirds to the perimeter of the marsh.
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| My favorite bird watchers |
Okay, so what makes these birds especially interesting? Their crazy bird call. It's a metallic, grating, strange, and a little pathetic, really, but it's an awesome and unique sound to hear. It sounds a bit like a parrot imitating a squeaky screen door. It also does this harsh "buzz saw" noise as well. Either way, it's not pretty, but it's unique.
I was able to get a video of them, though I couldn't get as close as I really wanted to. The sound quality isn't the best, but you should be able to hear the call as well. Please excuse my excited whispers and Grace's commentary. :)
I was pretty excited to upload my first YouTube video. Yup, call me tech-savvy! I've joined 2001 (or whenever YouTube was created). Maybe I'll even join Twitter and Instagram someday, heh.
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| Although the head looks a little more golden-orange in this picture, it was about as close as we could get. |
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| If you look closely, you can see that there are two yellow-headed blackbirds in this picture. One is in the middle near the water, and the other is toward the upper left (click on the picture to enlarge). |
We had such a lovely day watching these birds and enjoying the perfect weather! Hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy nature in the next week as well.
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
~Matthew 6:26
~Jen
