On my daily sojourn to Exeter's Powder House Pond, I finally had a chance to spend time with an adorable male Red-winged Blackbird, whom I affectionately refer to as Bob (the tailless wonder).
Bob seems quite happy guarding his little patch near the pond, singing away with all the bravado of a tenor performing at The Met. Though I've not spied him courting a lady friend nor protecting a nearby nest, he patrols his little plot and readily joins other blackbirds to chase Red-tailed Hawks away from the nesting area--and he is usually the first to return from the platoon's efforts to drive unwanted visitors away. I don't think he can bank as well as the others but darn it, he's in the game.
Why do I find Bob adorable? Well, I've tried my hand at some flight photos but I failed to capture what he looks like to me when he's in flight: one of those animated bats in a Looney Tunes cartoon.
