Mouthful
When the young are born, male red-wings spend less time vocalizing from the tops of the cattails and more time on the ground gathering food for their little ones.
This male had gathered a mouthful of caterpillars but still couldn’t resist the urge to call out before popping down into the nest. He kept his mouth closed and didn’t extend his body like he usually would have, so I was surprised at how loud the call was.
Tags: birds, red-winged blackbird, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Washington