Roundtop's Newest Residents

These little cuties are baby Red-winged Blackbirds. I expect they are only a few days old.

This morning is hazy and foggy--and not in a good way photographically. A storm is to come through later today and clear things out, but in the meantime I needed something for today's post. So I was out looking for something to photograph that the haze and humidity wouldn't impact adversely. I was vaguely intrigued by a stand of cat o'nine tails along the edge of one of the ponds and thought the gentle curves of the plants might make an interesting photograph.

As I neared the spot, a male Red-winged Blackbird flew out of the cat 'o nine tails, which was hardly a surprise. The cat o'nine tails are the only spot on Roundtop where I can find Red-winged Blackbirds. So I kept walking. At the edge of the pond, the blackbird racket suddenly increased dramatically, and I realized a nest must be nearby. I stopped, unwilling to go any closer or disturb them any more than I already had. And then I saw the nest.

The nest is only a few inches above the water line, in the base of the cat o'nine tails. I'm sure there are two babies in the nest, possibly a third. I didn't want to get any closer or move the plants aside to check for sure, so I just grabbed a quick shot and retreated.