Not all black birds are blackbirds, and not all blackbirds are black, but they are all birds. This morning at Marl Bed Flats I saw lots of black birds, and some of them were blackbirds. My favorite blackbird, though, was only partly black. Bobolinks are blackbirds, and the males are black, the females aren’t.
I like the males, though, not so much because they are black blackbirds but because they just plain look funky. It looks like they have their bills on the wrong side of their head–very strange looking to me.
They come though Central Florida usually in late April or early May. This is the earliest I’ve found them here, though I don’t think these are particularly early.
Eastern Meadowlarks are blackbirds that aren’t really black birds–at least they’re mostly not black. But they are very fun. This one grabbed a tasty morsel, a spider, I think, and I believe it’s headed to a nest.
And then there are all those Red-winged Blackbirds; there are always many of them here. They kind of fit the profile–a blackbird that’s a black bird, save for their shoulders.
A couple shorebirds can also be partly black birds while not being blackbirds. There are 45+ Black-necked Stilts at Marl Bed Flats. Lately each time I visit I see more of them, which is a good sign that they’ll breed here. We can always hope.
During the last couple weeks every time I’ve visited here I’ve seen fewer species. Lot’s of birds are moving north. But it’s also see the migrants, like the Bobolinks, passing through. It keeps one of my favorite places in Seminole County interesting.
Scott Simmons
Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.
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