{"id":121811,"date":"2024-02-23T04:21:27","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T11:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=121811"},"modified":"2024-02-23T04:29:49","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T11:29:49","slug":"urban-red-winged-blackbird-male-singing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/23\/urban-red-winged-blackbird-male-singing\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban Red-winged Blackbird Male Singing"},"content":{"rendered":"

I dug way back into my files this morning to share this urban Red-winged Blackbird male singing. The date was February 23, 2014, the location was my local pond. It’s hard for me to believe this image was taken ten years ago.<\/p>\n

\"UrbanUrban Red-winged Blackbird male singing on a cattail \u2013 Nikon D300, tripod mounted, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

My gear was different back then, including my camera model and lens. However, my tripod and tripod head remain the same. I’m definitely glad I invested in a sturdy tripod!<\/p>\n

As I recall, it was a bright winter morning with a hint of spring in the air. The grackles and blackbirds in the area were singing as if winter had already left the valley.<\/p>\n

When I walked around the edge of the pond, I found this male Red-winged Blackbird perched on a cattail. I hoped that he would sing while I had him in my viewfinder. He obliged my wishes by singing in front of me. I don’t recall if there were any female blackbirds in the area, but he sang his heart out for a few seconds.<\/p>\n

Though it may appear that the sky with clouds was behind this male blackbird, it was, in fact, the pond’s surface.<\/p>\n

Red-winged Blackbirds are year-round residents here in the Salt Lake Valley, and I feel fortunate to have photographed them every month of the year. Their behavior does change as spring approaches when the males starting to sing and display.<\/p>\n

It already feels like spring here at home. The blackbirds have been singing<\/span><\/a> for weeks now. It won’t be long before spring migration begins in earnest and amazes me.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Red-winged Blackbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I dug way back into my files this morning to share this urban Red-winged Blackbird male singing. The date was February 23, 2014, the location was my local pond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,419,709,26],"tags":[4151,3813,3483,4966,4062,10698,4104,1984,4324,4179,14757,8018,3996,373],"class_list":["post-121811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-red-winged-blackbirds","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-agelaius-phoeniceus","tag-blackbird","tag-blackbirds","tag-cattail","tag-male","tag-park","tag-perched","tag-pond","tag-red-winged-blackbird","tag-singing-2","tag-songster","tag-urban","tag-water","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/red-winged-blackbird-male-urban-songster-mia-mcpherson-0773.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-vGH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7734,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/03\/02\/songs-of-spring-red-winged-blackbirds\/","url_meta":{"origin":121811,"position":0},"title":"Songs of Spring – Red-winged Blackbirds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Fairly soon I'll be seeing many more of the male Red-winged Blackbirds perching at the top of rushes and cattails singing springtime serenades for the females and flashing their brilliantly colored epaulets","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Red-winged Blackbird on a cattail at Bear River MBR, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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courting and nest building on their minds now that spring is upon us.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Red-winged Blackbird with nesting material at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/red-winged-blackbird-female-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-9331.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/red-winged-blackbird-female-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-9331.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Singing male Red-winged Blackbird in all his glory, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-winged-blackbird-male-singing-mia-mcpherson-4492.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-winged-blackbird-male-singing-mia-mcpherson-4492.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-winged-blackbird-male-singing-mia-mcpherson-4492.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-winged-blackbird-male-singing-mia-mcpherson-4492.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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I was only able to get a few images before this blackbird flew away.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Autumn Red-winged Blackbird, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/red-winged-blackbird-male-mia-mcpherson-5922.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/red-winged-blackbird-male-mia-mcpherson-5922.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/red-winged-blackbird-male-mia-mcpherson-5922.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55877,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/01\/31\/red-winged-blackbird-male-singing-in-january\/","url_meta":{"origin":121811,"position":4},"title":"Red-winged Blackbird Male Singing In January","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been nearly a year since I posted any photos of Red-winged Blackbirds and since I took photos of a cooperative, sticky male yesterday I thought I should rectify that situation and share two photos here this morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Red-winged Blackbird singing in January, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, 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McPherson","date":"May 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Even though it is late May there are still male Red-winged Blackbirds displaying and singing their little hearts out here in northern Utah and that is what this male blackbird was doing.","rel":"","context":"In "Davis County"","block_context":{"text":"Davis County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/davis-county-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Singing male Red-winged Blackbird on a May morning, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/red-winged-blackbird-male-singing-mia-mcpherson-0793.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/red-winged-blackbird-male-singing-mia-mcpherson-0793.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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