I heard
it for the first time this morning, down near the spillway on the far side of
Asnebumskit Pond. Somewhere in the sere stand of Phragmites
a red-winged blackbird sang its unmistakable “prrr deeee.” I could only stand
still and smile, listening to this sure harbinger of the coming spring.
It must
be an optimistic bird, for the pond is still frozen over, and the surrounding
berm and woodland is yet covered with at least 6” of snow. Yet there it perched
within, hidden inside the tall fronds grasping a single stalk, swaying gently
in the morning breeze.
I
stayed several minutes just to listen; the bird called and paused perhaps a
dozen times, and I couldn’t help but wonder the purpose of its call. The
females aren’t due to arrive for nearly a month, so my sense is that this bird
might simply be proclaiming this territory to would-be male rivals.
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