Agelaius phoeniceus

In How to Know the Birds by Ted Floyd, he speaks of a “Spark Bird”:

“the name birders give to the species that triggers a lifelong passion, bordering on obsession, with birds.”
Ted Floyd, How to Know the Birds

The Agelaius phoeniceus (a.k.a the red-winged blackbird) is my spark bird. It was the first bird I recognized that I…recognized. Since then, I’ve been enjoying the process of learning how to recognize birds. Getting more comfortable recognizing their calls seems to be the most satisfying to me.

This has sparked a combination of a set of hobbies I’ve had, one of which is recording natural sounds. The first addition to my audio recordings is this recording of a red-winged blackbird perched on a wire next to a canal in southern Louisiana (there is a bonus Mallard and some wonderful boat engine noise deep in the recording as well). Enjoy!

red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) – Harvey, LA

photo credit: Stephen W., Nikon Coolpix P1000, Harvey, LA.

audio: Anthony Walker, recorded June 26, 2020, Harvey, LA. Recorded with Zoom H4n built-in microphones.