323 : Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoenicus

It has taken me several weeks to put fingertips to laptop again to start to complete my Florida bird set. So long in fact that I find myself in the Lake District on my next trip - the annual family holiday. But back to Florida first and a staple American bird.

The red epaulettes on this bird take it beyond the ordinary even if it is common. These birds were abundant around the hotel and at the Orlando Wetland Park. So abundant in fact that it is considered an agricultural pest and is shot, poisoned and trapped. Despite this there remain 200 m individual birds across the States, Canada and down into Mexico and Central America.

The photo above was taken on the scrubland around the hotel.

Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoenicus
Scrub near Hilton, Orlando, Florida
May 2015