Red Winged Blackbirds

We see them here, but not up by the house, although I can hear them sometimes. There’s a marshy area down at the bottom of the hill, about a quarter mile as the crow flies, a catch basin where a stream comes out of Bell Canyon behind Castle Peak and turns into what will become the Los Angeles River in a mile or so after it joins up with a couple other streams. It’s right across the street from the baseball and soccer fields and we always heard them there when the kids were playing.

In the last week they’ve returned to the Sapsucker Woods location where the Cornell Lab FeederWatch Cam is set up. I hadn’t seen any for the first two or three months I had been watching the feed (i.e., the depths of winter) but there are quite a few of them there now. In addition to the ones that you see at the feeder, sometimes four or five at a time, you can hear them sounding off in the background almost constantly.

(Video from Cornell Lab FeederWatch Cam at Sapsucker Woods)

It’s an extremely calming noise, harkening back to time spent relaxing or exploring while camping or hiking.

Next thing to watch for – when will the ice break on Sapsucker Woods Pond?