Red-winged Blackbird in the manner of Arthur Cleveland Bent

     A while ago I wrote a piece (here) drawing on the very pleasing, whimsical style of Arthur Cleveland Bent, and I thought that I would try it again. It is fun to do!

Red-winged Blackbird

     A male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a jaunty, handsome fellow, full of confidence and bravado.

     His attire is splendid glossy black, with crimson epaulettes bordered with creamy yellow. A sharply conical bill is diagnostic in this species.
     As soon as he arrives back at the marshes in spring he immediately establishes a territory which he vigorously defends against all comers, both physically and vocally, his robust burble-eee song, resonating across the cattails. He is awaiting the arrival of the females, the objects of his ardour, to which he will become consort to several if the fates are kind.
     She is beautiful in her own way, with bold stripes and hints of suffused colour like delicate blush applied judiciously.

     Oh how anxiously he awaits her arrival!
     He postures and displays, showing his finery, all the while cajoling with his voice, hoping to incite her to a mating frenzy immediately she lights upon the scene.

     She does not remain immune to these entreaties and succumbs readily to his charms.

     Does she realize, however, that he is a charlatan, a veritable Casanova, bent on seducing others also? 

     She throws caution to the wind and accepts his tryst, brief though it is, and whether imbued with ecstasy or not we will never know.

     Males who are especially fit may enjoy intimate association with as many as fifteen other females, most of whom will receive no parental assistance from these ostentatious philanderers, and will be left to their own devices to raise their young. Sadly some of them will be incapable of dealing with single parenthood and will be unsuccessful, sometimes abandoning their nestlings.

     Many females, however, will deem turnabout to be fair play and solicit copulations from other males, especially strong, virile individuals able to furnish superior genes for the next generation. 
     The world of Red-winged Blackbirds is a steamy affair - not unlike human activity for that matter. Do not be confused by the demure demeanour of the female - whether bird or human!

     If all goes well the female will construct a nest, woven into cattail stalks, with little or no assistance from the male, especially if she is a subordinate female, and three or four eggs will be laid.

      The male, all the while engaged in amorous adventures with other females, will defend the territory of his harem against all comers, not fearing to attack intruders such as crows, hawks, or humans who stray too close.
     The female alone incubates the eggs for up to thirteen days following which the young hatch.

     This signals a very busy time for the maternal parent who provisions the young herself and may be constantly observed ferrying food back to the nest. While the food of adult birds consists primarily of seeds, grain and fruit, the young require protein and fat so caterpillars, spiders and arthropods are on the menu.

     Hungry mouths are clamouring to be fed; are these voracious children never  satiated?

          A mother's work is never done!

     Once the breeding season is over Red-winged Blackbirds join together in flocks, roosting at night in cattail marshes. Then numerous flocks join together, especially on their winter quarters following migration, sometimes numbering in the millions, and often including Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) and Common Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). 

     The Red-winged Blackbird has been studied at length, being the most abundant passerine in North America. For many its arrival on its breeding territory marks the true beginning of spring. For me that is certainly so. To hear the first one is to rejoice in being alive. Long may they grace our wetlands.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Pic à ventre roux) in the manner of Arthur Cleveland Bent

       Inscribed in the honour roll of American ornithologists, the name Arthur Cleveland Bent (1866-1954) takes pride of place among many notables. He is widely known for his monumental (and this is an instance where the word is not used lightly) 21-volume Life Histories of North American Birds. To this day, if you examine the bibliography of contemporary ornithological works, reference to Bent is commonplace. His work has stood the test of time.
     Bent is not only renowned for his scholarly discipline, but also for the whimsical, almost folksy style in which he wrote. Make no mistake, he did not lack sophistication for he was a Harvard alumnus, but he perhaps aimed his treatise at a lay audience as much as to fellow ornithologists, and the results are delightful. Whenever I refer to Bent (alas I have only  two volumes) I always linger longer than I need to, simply to take pleasure in reading his accounts.
     I thought it would be fun to try my hand at this, and so I will attempt to convey the flavour of Bent to you in the following piece on Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). I am under no illusion that I will approach his mastery of this style, but I hope that I will be able to impart to you some of the sheer fun to be had from reading his work.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

     The Red-bellied Woodpecker no doubt was named by someone suffering from an excess of libation, or possessed of a perverse sense of humour, for the alleged red belly is little more than a smudge on the lower regions, and not frequently seen by the casual observer.

     Nevertheless, as you may readily conclude from an examination of the male  above, he is a very handsome chap, with red nape and cap, and a stout bill with which to probe every crevice, every stump, in search of delicacies such as spiders, grubs and arthropods of all kinds that happen to cross his path.

    Furthermore he is not above dining on fruit, berries, nuts and the like, and should an opportunity present itself he does not eschew the eggs or young of other birds. Even small mammals and a careless frog do not escape the attention of this catholic diner.

          Usually found in his woodland home, he is quick to exploit friendly environs provided by human habitation, where a buffet table of seed and fat is often laid out for him.

      He is not shy to announce his presence by uttering a deep churr call, hoping that the ladies of the area pay attention to this sound. He is declaring jurisdiction over his domain, and also announcing his availability as a suitor.

      The object of his ardour is similar to the male, but the red does not form a hood, and only her nape is clothed in crimson.

   
      Her head is grey at the top, nor does she support the the orange blush on her cheeks as featured in the male. Confident in her beauty, she perhaps has no need for further ostentation.

     The female is vocal in this species, although not so much as the male, but sweet calls are exchanged between the two sexes to establish a pair bond before nesting. Although calling throughout the year, but especially in late winter and spring, they do not consort together until the requisite hormonal changes incite their instincts, at which time they may be seen together at all times. Once sexually charged in this manner both sexes exchange low-pitched grr sounds, reflecting no doubt their passion for each other. Indeed, the female often initiates copulation by mounting the male, a curious behaviour one might conclude, but it serves to incite the male to perform his duty.
     

     

     The culmination of their union is a nest hole prepared mostly by the male, but with assistance from the female at the end of the process, where no doubt specific requirements are taken care of; in the way of humans, the female arrogates to herself the choice of final decor and other details of the home.

     Four to six eggs are laid and both devoted parents take part in incubation, the male generally assuming the night shift. When the young hatch they are provisioned by both parents who do not lack in industry in ensuring the healthy development of their brood.

     Once the young woodpeckers leave the nest the ties of devotion between the two former lovers is severed and they go their separate ways. In the following season they may serendipitously renew their tryst, but more likely they will find a new partner, and begin the whole process anew.