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Bird of the Month Male Red-winged Blackbirds are glossy black with red-and- yellow shoulder patches. Females are different, dark brown above with brown streaking below. Male Red-winged Blackbirds are conspicuous, sitting on high perches and belting out their conk-la-ree song. Females stay lower, skulking through vegetation for food and weaving their remarkable nests near the ground (or water surface in a marsh). Females build the nests by winding stringy plant material around several upright stems to form a platform, then adding more leaves and twigs plastered with mud to make a cup up to seven inches across and deep. In fall and winter, Red-winged Blackbirds join other blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds, and starlings in flocks of thousands or millions of birds to feed on grains and roost. Red-winged Blackbirds breed (summer) in wet places like marshes and rice paddies where they feed mainly on insects. They nest in loose groups in part because appropriate marshy habitat is scarce. Red-winged Blackbirds are common year-round across the entire U.S. and most of Mexico. Part of the population migrates to Canada in the summer and part of the population migrates to northwestern Mexico in the winter. Red-winged Blackbirds are seen occasionally throughout Four Seasons any time of year. About 10 birds nest (summer) in the cattails in the Lower Marsh (east end of Potrero Creek), where we saw several during out July 4 walk. ~ Steve Edelman Birding CLUB On June 13, the Four Seasons (FS) Birding Club conducted its first bird walk since COVID-19 started. Our summer walks are designed for beginners so we focused on the sights and sounds of Four Seasons' three most commonly seen and heard birds: Spotted Towhee, Lesser Goldfinch, and Song Sparrow. These birds together with 15 other species brought our bird walk total to 18. We got a good look at an adult male Cooper's Hawk, one of several that have attacked people in defense of their nests on Trail B. Historically, our July bird walks have the lowest species counts of the year and this year was no exception; our paltry tally of 17 species during our July 4 bird walk actually tied our previous high count for July set in 2018. A highlight was Four Seasons' nesting colony of Red-winged Blackbirds (our Bird of the Month). Birding was supplemented by butterflies, which are at their maximum numbers in mid- summer. The Birding Club welcomes beginning and experienced birders to participate in their monthly bird walks along our nature trails and seasonal field trips. Email steve.h.edelman@gmail.com. ~ Steve Edelman FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2020 35 Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. Adult male Red-winged Blackbird. Photo by club member Dave Kettering White-faced Ibis. Photo by club member Renae Stueve, who has been taking short photography outings during COVID-19 and captured this image from her car while visiting San Jacinto Wildlife Area in June A dapper female California Quail. Photo by club member John Hansen

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