Red-winged Blackbird Explosion

by Judi Dressler

Title

Red-winged Blackbird Explosion

Artist

Judi Dressler

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

I watched in wonder as this flock of thousands of Red-winged Blackbirds flew up in a large flock, swooped around the area, and then settled back down on the ground, over and over. A murmuration of sorts, although I didn't see them swarm up high, and also didn't see a predator chasing them which is usually the cause for murmurations. It was a sight to behold, and I took so many photos! This is one of my favorites, where you can see the density of birds as they flew up in unison.

Red-winged Blackbirds roost in flocks in all months of the year. In summer small numbers roost in the wetlands where the birds breed. Winter flocks can be congregations of several million birds, including other blackbird species and starlings. The term “murmuration” describes sizeable flocks that fly in tight formation in complex patterns, often related to predator avoidance. Murmurations are a subject in which the realms of birding, particle physics, and art collide—but the birds don’t. The crazy swirling effort by thousands at dusk is likely a way to confuse any nearby predators such as hawks and owls.

Photo taken on December 25, 2021, in Bosque del Apache NWR, NM.

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Descriptive tags and keywords for this image include red-winged blackbirds, blackbirds, flock, flock of birds, mumurations, mumuration, flying, birds, hills, agelaius phoeniceus, passeriformes, bosque, bosque del apache nwr, exploding, landscape, scene, new mexico, nm, wildlife, wild, nature, dressler, and judi dressler.

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January 15th, 2022

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