Singing red-winged blackbird, Berkeley Marina

The blackbirds are starting to make a real ruckus, which must mean that spring is just around the corner! These are two shots from an evening walk at Cesar Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina. At least two burrowing owls are still there, although we couldn't find the third that we had seen earlier in the season. Perhaps it was just below ground, or maybe it has left for the summer.

Quail in the Valley

A male California Quail in the brush along the trail in Tennessee Valley.

Singing red-winged blackbird

From an April walk at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility in Petaluma. Treatment wetlands are a great place to find birds, and my first tour of that area did not disappoint as this male blackbird was singing in the flowers along the trail.



He's really belting out his characteristic song -- a sound that always reminds me of the arrival of spring.

Singing blackbird

Last week I posted some shots of this red-winged blackbird posing among the yellow blooms, but my real hope when I started shooting him was to get some nice shots of him in mid-song in this terrific setting. They have such a wonderful unique call, and I always enjoy it in early spring when we start hearing them again in the local parks.

Quick Post -- Blackbird at Ellis Creek WRF

This blackbird will likely make a few more appearances on my blog in the near future. He was really quite a showoff, and the sinuous branches with yellow flowers made for a great setting.

Quick Post -- Red-winged Blackbird

A male red-winged blackbird showing off for me along the trail at the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility in Petaluma. He bounced from branch to branch while singing, giving me a few different takes on the scene with a variety of background colors (this is a seasonal wetland behind him). It would have been nice to capture the end of the branch in this frame, but the wind was blowing (cause of his ruffled feathers) and he was floating around in space far too much to control.