Tag Archives: Bryce Gaudian

Yellow-headed Blackbirds: Not Attracted to Life on the Shallow Side

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Yellow-headed Blackbirds: Not Attracted to Life on the Shallow Side

Dr. James J. S. Johnson

Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.

(James 4:8a)
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD perching
(Photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Yellow-headed Blackbirds [Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus] remind me of our need to stay close to God. That takes a bit of explaining, but there is actually a simple connection between staying close to God and the behavior of Yellow-headed Blackbirds (when then gather on the edge of a cattail-encompassed pond).

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are found in marshy areas west of the Mississippi River.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD pair
(Photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Male much larger than the female; head, neck, and upper breast bright yellow, blackish elsewhere; and conspicuous white markings on the wings. Female duller and lighter, yellow on the chest, throat, and face, no white marks. … Visiting a [yellow-headed blackbird] colony in a marsh or slough in spring is an exciting experience. Some males are always in display flight, with head stooped, feet and tail drooped, wings beating in a slow accentuated way. Some quarrel with neighbors over boundaries while others fly out to feed.

[William A. Niering, WETLANDS (New York, NY: Chanticleer Press / National Audubon Society Nature Guides, 1998), page 600.]
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD perching
(Photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

The first time, that I saw Yellow-headed Blackbirds, was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming — near the base of the Grand Teton Mountains, not far from the Snake River (and also not far from Yellowstone National Park). It was summer, yet the temperatures were mild — even relatively cool — especially if compared to the scorching hot summers of Texas.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in flight
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Thus, as part of a working/family vacation — that combined family vacation time (in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park) with attending a Continuing Legal Education seminar for federal bankruptcy litigators — I was able to enjoy many hours of wildlife viewing (including wonderful birdwatching, plus bull moose — but that’s another story!) in that beautiful part of western Wyoming.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in cattails
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

There was a ponded area near the Jackson Hole visitors’ center, and the ponded area featured flourishing cattails (a wetland plant mentioned in a previous blogpost, “Red-winged Blackbirds: Marsh-loving Icterids”, posted at https://leesbird.com/2023/07/28/red-winged-blackbirds-marsh-loving-icterids/ ). Interestingly the cattail-fringed pond-shore had many perching blackbird “neighbors”; some were red-winged and others were yellow-headed.

Pond-marsh near Jackson Hole visitors’ center
(photo credit: Lee & Mary Benfield / Gypsies @ Heart)

Yet there was a noticeable pattern — most of the perching blackbirds, closer into the pond-marsh waters, were yellow-headed, in contrast to the redwings who perched farther away from the wetland pond-shoreline, on the shallower sides of the pond-marsh waters.

This group behavior observation is corroborated by a report posted on the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) website:

The yellow-headed blackbird and red-winged blackbird are often found in the same habitat in the western United States, but yellow-headed blackbirds [being robin-sized] are the larger, more dominant species. They generally nest in deeper water near the center of larger wetlands, while red-winged blackbirds nest along the edges in shallower water.

[ National Wildlife Federation, posted at http://www.nwf.org ]
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD perching
(Photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

This observation is not a new one — see my earlier blogpost “Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds: Living on the Inside or the Outside?” (posted at https://leesbird.com/2014/08/04/yellow-headed-and-red-winged-blackbirds-living-on-the-inside-or-the-outside/ ).

So, reconsider the observation made by the NWF author, above:  Yellowheads “generally nest in deeper water near the center of larger wetlands”, while redwings “nest along the edges of shallower [i.e., more peripheral] water”.  In other words, Yellow-headed Blackbirds congregate closer in, while Red-winged Blackbirds settle farther out.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in marsh vegetation
(photo credit: Roads End Naturalist)

Ornithologist Ellen Horowitz, of the Flathead Audubon Society, gives a more detailed description of this habitat-sharing dynamic, between Yellow-headed blackbirds and their redwing cousins:

Yellow-headed Blackbirds, larger than their red-winged cousins, dominate in areas where both are present. Redwing Blackbirds appear early in spring and exploit all areas of a marsh until the yellow-heads arrive. Territorial interactions between the two are an easily observed bird behavior that is part of the springtime ritual at a marsh. Yellow-headed Blackbirds take over the prime real estate, often located near the center of large wetlands, and oust the redwings to shallower water near the edges.

Nesting colonies of Yellow-headed Blackbirds are found where dense cattails and bulrushes grow in two to four feet of water and where insect life is rich. Some colonies contain as many as 25 to 30 nests within a 15 square foot area. Each adult male stakes his claim within the larger framework of the colony. A polygynous breeder, he mates with several females who nest within his defended territory. The female weaves long strands of wet vegetation around cattails or other tall aquatic plants to form her nest. As the basket-like structure dries, it pulls the supports taught. The location of a nest ranges from 10 to 30 inches above the water. Deep water protects the nest and its occupants from prowling predators — skunks, raccoons and foxes. Tall, thick vegetation hides them from northern harriers and other birds of prey.

During the breeding season, the diet of yellow-headed blackbirds consists primarily of insects and spiders. The birds glean them from the ground, plants, or hawk them from the air. Seeds, including grain, form a major portion of their diet during the rest of the year. Like all Icterids, the yellow-head has a strong, straight, pointed bill and powerful muscles that control its opening and closing. After inserting its bill into the ground or matted vegetation, the yellow-head spreads its bill, which presses against the surrounding substrate to form a cavity. The behavior, known as “gaping,” allows access to hidden food sources.

Yellow-headed blackbirds feed in freshly plowed lands, cultivated fields and pastures during migration. Although they cause some damage to agricultural crops by pulling up seedlings and eating grain, the insects and weed seeds they consume prove more beneficial than harmful.

[ Ellen Horowitz, “Yellow-headed Blackbird”, Flathead Audubon Society, posted at https://flatheadaudubon.org/bird-of-the-month/yellow-headed-blackbird/ ]

[ Quoting Ellen Horowitz, “Yellow-headed Blackkbird”, Flathead Audubon Society, posted at https://flatheadaudubon.org/bird-of-the-month/yellow-headed-blackbird/ ]

Now, with those background facts in mind, consider who some Christians try—in their daily walking through this earthly life—to stay close to God.  Think of how the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to multitudes, yet He had only a dozen close disciples (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16), and even one of those was a money-embezzling fake! (John 6:70), — and, from among those 12 disciples, Christ had 3 who were closest to Him: Peter and 2 sons of Zebedee, James and John (Matthew 17:1).

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in cattails
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Yet many Christians are satisfied with rather worldly lives, not trying very seriously to walk through life close to God.  That’s like living at a distance, spiritually speaking, on the “shallow” side, so to speak — like Red-winged Blackbirds who settle for settling in cattails of the shallower pond-marsh waters.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD perching on cattail
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Just as Yellow-headed Blackbirds prefer to be closer to the center of a Jackson Hole pond-marsh, I prefer to live closer to the Lord Jesus Christ–Who is my revered and appreciated Creator, Redeemer, and Shepherd. Reminds me of an old Fanny Crosby hymn:

Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.

(James 4:8a)

How about you?

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, with other blackbirds, in flight
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Red-winged Blackbirds: marsh-loving icterids

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RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS: MARSH-LOVING ICTERIDS

Dr. James J. S. Johnson

Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?

(Job 8:11)

Speaking of birdwatching in Texas, ornithologist Stan Tekiela says, “It’s a sure sign of spring when [migratory] Red-winged Blackbirds return to the marshes.” [Quoting from Tekiela’s BIRDS OF TEXAS FIELD GUIDE (Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc., 2004), page 9.] 

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD MALE, front view, on budding plants
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Of course, Minnesota hosts Redwinged Blackbirds in early springtime, weeks before the last snowdrifts melt away with warming spring temperatures.

“CLOUD” of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, Minnesota
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Of course, what could be a more iconic marshland plants than cattails, which Redwings love to perch upon, all over America’s Lower 48 states (as well as much of Mexico and Canada)?

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD FEMALE perching on cattail stalk
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Cattails are wetland plants, often growing on pondshore’s or along drainage ditches. 

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD MALE, profile, showing red-&-yellowish epaulet
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

And where you have cattails, you often have Red-winged Blackbirds, known to ornithologists as Agelaius phoeniceus, sometimes nicknamed “Redwings” (but not to be confused with the Eurasia’s thrush that is also nicknamed “redwing”), , as was noted in a previous blogpost “Redwing Pond”, posted at https://leesbird.com/2019/11/04/redwing-pond/.

The most successful way to observe the behavior of Red-winged Blackbirds is to locate a marshy area where a number of them can be regularly found, pick one or two of the more active birds, and follow their movements for about a half hour.  A characteristic of Redwings is that they alternate periods of active displaying with periods of quiet and feeding, so you cannot just show up at a marsh and expect immediately to see all of their marvelous displays.

Donald Stokes, A GUIDE TO BIRD BEHAVIOR, Vol. I (Boston: Little, Brown & Company / Stokes Nature Guides, 1979), page 275.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD MALE, close-up
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Red-winged Blackbirds are one of my favorite icterid (blackbird family) birds.  The males sport colorful epaulets (i.e., shoulder-wing feather “bars”) of pale yellow and red stripes, which contrast strikingly against their otherwise glossy black plumage.  The females have a more camouflage-hued brownish plumage, accenting the brown feathers with ivory-white mottling and outlining (and “eyebrows”). 

Above and below are some splendid photographs taken by Christian/creationist wildlife photographer (in Minnesota), showing how beautiful (and plentiful) these Red-winged Blackbirds can be.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD MALE, sporting red-and-yellowish epaulet
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD FEMALE, Minnesota
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Red-winged blackbirds are not picky eaters — although they mostly eat plant material, such as seeds (including seeds from various weeds, from birdfeeders, as well as from rice or other grain seeds) and available berries (including blackberries and blueberries). Redwings also eat a mix of small animals, especially insect adults and larvae (including flies, moths, butterflies, dragonflies), spiders, earthworms, periodical cicadas, and even snails.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD FEMALE, perching with prey
(photo credit: BRYCE GAUDIAN)

How nice it would be to see Red-winged Blackbirds perching upon cattails that constitute a fence-like edge along a pond-shore or a drainage ditch!

Thank You, Lord, for making these marsh-loving icterids.

BOBOLINKS: GRAIN-LOVING GRASSLANDERS

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SEED-LOVING BOBOLINKS, GROUND-NESTING IN GRASSLANDS

Dr. James J. S. Johnson

BOBOLINKS in grassland habitat, Minnesota 
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the mother sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the mother with the young. 

(Deuteronomy 22:6)

Moses noted that some wild birds build their nests upon the ground; Bobolinks do just that.

Years ago, I reported on the Black-capped Chickadee, noting that I first saw one at Gilsland Farm Sanctuary, while attending a wetland ecologists’ meeting: “Decades ago, I saw Black-capped Chickadees, for the first time, in Falmouth (near Portland), Maine – at the Gilsland Farm Sanctuary (now called “Gilsland Farm Audubon Center”), on May 31st of AD1995, while attending the annual national meeting of the Society of Wetlands Scientists.” [Quoting from “Tiny Yet Tough: Chickadees Hunker Down for Winter”, posted at https://leesbird.com/2016/11/18/tiny-yet-tough-chickadees-hunker-down-for-winter/ .]

Another “lifer” that I then observed that day, at Gilsland Farm Sanctuary, was the BOBOLINK.  And what a striking plumage the male Bobolink has, during breeding season! 

BOBOLINK MALE in breeding plumage, Minnesota 
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) are icterids (blackbirds of the Western Hemisphere), dwelling in America’s prairie and pasture grasslands and marshy wetlands during the warm months of the year.  Bobolinks were nicknamed “rice birds” (which matches their species name, oryzivorus, meaning “rice-eating”), due to their dining habits, especially during autumn migrations.  

The Bobolink genus name, Dolichonyx, means “long claw”, matching its prehensile perching “fingers”.

BOBOLINK MALE, perching with “long claws”, Minnesota 
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

During such migrations Bobolinks frequently feed in farmed fields of rice and other grains (such as oats, sorghum, maize corn, and hayseed), at energy-packing refueling stopovers (e.g., in South Carolina and the Gulf states), on their aerial journeys southward, via Caribbean islands, en route to South American over-wintering range destinations.

Bobolinks feed on (or near) the ground, eating various seeds, insects, spiders, and even snails—especially during breeding seasons.  Both larvae and adults of insects (especially armyworm moths) are protein-rich, much needed for growing Bobolink juveniles.

Also, during breeding seasons, Bobolinks depend upon available hay for nest-building, on the ground, in vegetated areas. 

Bobolinks are quite specific in their breeding habitat needs.  Open hay fields are a must, and so as farming is some regions of the country diminishes, so do populations of bobolinks.  Where colonies of bobolinks have traditionally bred, it is important to preserve their habitat with regular mowing practices.  Unfortunately, the right time to mow a field for hay is often just when the young are fledging[!].  Careful observation of the behavior of a [bobolink] colony and delaying of mowing until one or two weeks after fledging, a time when the young can fly fairly well, will keep a colony producing and ensure its [multi-generational] survival. 

[Quoting Donald W. Stokes & Lillian Q. Stokes, A GUIDE TO BIRD BEHAVIOR, Volume III (Boston: Little, Brown & Company/Stokes Nature Guides, 1989), pages 351-352.]
BOBOLINK MALE in grassland habitat, Minnesota 
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Consequently, Bobolinks are easier to find in habitats where their needs for food and nesting are plentiful.

BOBOLINK male in flight, prairie habitat, Minnesota
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

The males have easily seen plumages—like reverse tuxedos (white upon black) in spring and summer, during breeding months.

BOBOLINK male, displaying yellow nape-hood, Minnesota
(photo credit: Bryce Gaudian)

Male and female bobolinks are easily distinguished during the breeding season.  Males have a black head, belly, and wings, with a buff-gold nape and white patches on the back.  The female is buff [and brown] colored all over with dark streaks on her back, wings, and sides.

[Quoting Donald W. Stokes & Lillian Q. Stokes, A GUIDE TO BIRD BEHAVIOR, Volume III (Boston: Little, Brown & Company/Stokes Nature Guides, 1989), pages 364.]

During non-breeding months, however, Bobolink males shift to duller hues of dark and light browns, similar to the year-round plumage of Bobolink females and juveniles.

BOBOLINK female perching near prairie flower
(Mircea Costina / Shutterstock / ABCbirds.org photo credit)

Of course, these tweety-chirpy icterids breed elsewhere in spring – in most of the upper half of America’s Lower 48, from the Northeast’s coastlines almost as far wet as the coasts of Washington and Oregon. Accordingly, the Bobolink migrates about 6,000 miles southward or northward, so it accrues about 12,000 miles per year, in air miles.

American Bird Conservancy range map

It was a privilege to see Bobolinks, back in AD1995, at the Gilsland Farm Sanctuary, as part of my time attending the Society of Wetlands Scientists’ meeting.

Likewise, it’s a privilege, now, to be permitted to share some of the wonderful Bobolink photographs taken in Minnesota, by Christian/creationist photographer BRYCE GAUDIAN — thanks, Bryce!

And now, it’s time for a limerick, about Bobolinks.

In Appreciation of the Bobolink, a/k/a Rice Bird

There’s an icterid feathered quite nice,

Whose fast-food oft includes rice;

It makes a chirp-sound,

As it nests on the ground,

And it’s photo’d quite well, by Bryce!