Red-Winged Blackbirds. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A group of male red-winged blackbirds on display in brush.
When photographing the large and impressive migratory birds (cranes, geese, ibises) along with egrets and herons it is easy for me to overlook some of the smaller birds. To be honest, that is what I did when I first started photographing birds — my focus was virtually always on the larger specimens. But over time, and on days when the large birds aren’t around, I began to pay more attention to other no less deserving critters.
Red-winged blackbirds (and related variants) are found all over the place. In fact, I recently have a discussion with a Texas-based photographer friend in which he was extolling them. Where I go I typically spot them in groups in trees and among reeds, singing enthusiastically as the males show off their striking red patches. (There’s hardly a happier sound than a flock of these birds.) Sometimes they surprise me though — I’ll never forget one early wetlands morning when I saw veritable clouds of thousands of them arise at dawn.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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