One day last week I got a funny feeling I was being surrounded. Even though the winds were howling outside and I was safely tucked inside the house with all the windows closed, I could faintly make out a persistent, high-pitched din.
I peered out the window, and my mouth dropped open when I saw what had to be thousands of Red-winged Blackbirds filling the trees. I opened the door a crack so I could listen to the sound. It was like standing in the middle of a gigantic marsh as their distinctive trills were joined by the squeaks and whistles of interloping grackles and starlings.
Red-winged Blackbirds flock together in fall and winter and travel as much as 50 miles per day to feeding sites like farm fields and grasslands. Then they regroup at night to roost together. I was a little concerned they might drop down into my yard and quickly empty my birdfeeders, but only a few curious birds made an appearance.
Then there was a huge gust of wind and they disappeared into the sky.