Yellow-headed Blackbirds in Slough near Regina SK

Yellow-headed Blackbird, on reeds near Regina, SK  ©SB

Yellow-headed Blackbirds creak and dart among the reeds at a slough not far from my house in Regina, Saskatchewan.

On a recent drive, I listened to their rasping screeches and croaks, and realized that far more Yellow-headed Blackbirds were singing than I could see.

But those I could see were beautiful, their vibrant yellow, gold and amber feathers shining in the sun, their black suits, stark and sombre.

The males, that is.

The females are more subdued in colour, a blurry yellow with brown, the better to blend in the reeds and mud in the nest.

(I've only seen females in early spring — perhaps before their actual nest sitting?)

And as for a slough, that's a natural water-filled area, more shallow and reed-filled than a lake.

Female Yellow-headed Blackbird, in the slough  ©SB

Yellow-headed Blackbird ©SB

What are these?  Yellow-headed Blackbirds

Location: Slough north of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: May 25, 2012. 

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