Birds Doing Stuff- Steve Jessmore

06/09/2026

Wetland Drama 🐦

Red-winged Blackbirds are among the fiercest defenders of territory in the bird world. Size doesn't seem to matter when deciding who belongs and who doesn't. Their rule appears simple: if you're not a Red-winged Blackbird, you're not welcome.

One morning while watching loons on a nest, I witnessed repeated aerial skirmishes along the wooded shoreline. At one point, a Red-tailed Hawk appeared and quickly found itself under attack as it crossed the lagoon. The hawk escaped with nothing more than its adrenaline pumping, but the blackbirds made their message crystal clear.

04/24/2026

A Common Grackle fearlessly harasses a Red-shouldered Hawk, escorting it across the Torch River. Prime nesting areas are being defended and are at a premium this year due to high water.
•

04/02/2026

Sunlight highlights wintering Buffleheads at Reeds Lake. Soon they’ll head north, but for now they pair off and show breeding plumage.
•

03/29/2026

Nice to see my work shared to help National Audubon Society and its work to help our birds.

To find out why our most common ducks are in decline, scientists have undertaken a research effort that is ambitious both in its scale and in the sheer quantity of information it aims to amass. One of the project's leaders says he’s unaware of any other animal study that has netted such a staggering volume of data from so many individuals. Read more from Audubon magazine at the link in comments.