For the past couple of weeks a male red-winged blackbird has been harassing me as I visited the berm area. We discovered his mate has a nest in a small bush in the middle of the 2009 planting area.
I avoided going into the 2009 planting area but last Sunday I decided to check to see if the eggs had hatched. She was well camouflaged but flew off with a cry when I was a couple of paces away. I saw that she had at least one very young chick at the bottom of her nest. I quickly took a couple of snaps and then departed to let her come back to the nest.
Last Thursday the male was still quick to come and harass me as I passed by, but today I knew something was different when he didn't come and harass me even when I entered the 2009 planting area. It turns out the bush branches around the nest have been disturbed since last Sunday and the nest is now empty. I don't know if that means the chicks have fledged or if some predator has come and got them all.
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