Full circle….
I spent a lot of time hanging around a marsh this spring after discovering “the spot” for watching both Red-winged and Yellow-headed blackbirds during their very active nesting season. Yellow-heads are marsh birds and unique because they weave their nests between reeds directly over water. The brilliantly colored males can be seen perched among the highest cattails guarding their territory. They make a very unique sound like a big, rusty gate opening.
Male Yellow-headed blackbird surveys his domain. Klickitat County. April, 2021. Canon EOS 80D, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6l is ii.
Male Yellow-heads are way more aggressive than the closely related Red-winged blackbirds, and will dominate the best nest and perch locations in the marsh.
Male Red-winged blackbird calls out to potential mates while displaying his full color. Klickitat County. April, 2021. Canon EOS 80D, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6l is ii.
Female Red-winged blackbird hunting for bugs. Klickitat County. May, 2021. Canon EOS 80D, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6l is ii.
I spent countless hours photographing the yellow-heads, and was lucky enough to capture some beautiful moments. I took the photo below in early July. It was getting late in the season, and there were fewer yellow-heads around, but it turned out to be a day I will never forget……..
Male Yellow-head shows off. Klickitat County. July, 2021. Canon EOS 80D, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6l is ii
Just as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed something moving in the middle of the road. It was a juvenile male yellow-head that had just been struck by a passing car. He was obviously badly injured. One wing was clearly broken and he had a badly mangled leg. I was able to catch him with a butterfly net, and he rode with me like this on my passenger seat for the drive home. I named him “Jake”, and you can tell he’s a male as he is just starting to get his trademark yellow-head…..
“Jake”. Klickitat County, Wa. July, 2021. iPhone 11 Pro…..
Luckily, there’s a fantastic wildlife rescue about 45 minutes from me across the Columbia river in Rowena, Ore. The folks there are truly selfless, and have dedicated their lives to healing injured wildlife. They will take in anything from a sparrow to a full grown deer without hesitation. Unfortunately, when my wife and I delivered Jake, the outlook was not promising. When the woman at the rescue opened the box I was carrying him in, she let out a heavy sigh. We weren’t hopeful we would ever see Jake again, but knew the end of his life would be as comfortable as possible, and better than if he had been left to die on the side of the road. ……
The welcome sign at Rowena Wildlife Rescue. Rowena, Ore. July, 2021. iPhone 11 Pro.
Amazingly, I received a call from the rescue a few weeks later letting me know Jake had miraculously survived. His broken wing had been carefully repaired, but unfortunately his leg was too mangled to save and had to be amputated. As it turns out, this is not such a big deal for most birds. They often only perch with one leg anyways, and can still get around way better than you would think……
Jake after a few weeks of rehabilitation at the rescue…….August, 2021.
A few weeks later, I received another call from the rescue asking if I would be willing to release Jake in the same spot I found him as he was now healthy enough. I jumped at the once in a lifetime chance. I picked Jake up at the rescue so we could take one more car ride together. I released him right at the edge of his favorite marsh, where I thought for sure he would head, but he did just the opposite. He flew right past me, over the road, and all the way across the lake about 3 feet over the water. I held my breath until he reached the other side and disappeared into the trees. From this day forward, anytime I come across a yellow-headed blackbird, you can bet I'll be checking to see if he has both legs.....
P.S. - If you see him, he prefers to be called Jake. With a little luck he’ll eventually look like this…..
Adult male Yellow-Headed Blackbird. Klickitat County. August, 2021. Canon EOS 80D, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6l is ii.