RED-WING BLACKBIRD
PR

The marshes that surround Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown are a haven for thousands of red-wing blackbirds. In the spring and summer their nests are hung between stands of cattails or reeds. Fall and winter find the parent birds and their offspring feeding in great flocks on wild oats or spreading out in neighboring corn fields to glean corn dropped by massive corn-picking machinery.

Old timers say that when the male birds swing from rust-brown cattails and trill their unforgettable "ok-ka-lee", spring and fishing time have arrived. A Beau Brummel in sleek black uniform and red epaulettes of a sergeant major, the male red-wing is a dashing fellow. His lady, though, is a demure maiden dressed almost in Quaker austerity. Her costume blends in complete harmony with the surroundings where four to five young are hatched.

The red-wing is gregarious after nesting time and flocks with rusty blackbirds, grackles and occasionally starlings. It is not uncommon to see flights numbering thousands of birds. When they swirl to land in an open field for foraging, it is not uncommon for those in the rear echelon to leap-frog across companions to take new feeding positions.

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