I got out to a very pretty marsh recently to see what the birds are up to this time of year and here’s what I saw.

I can report that the red wing blackbird males are very loud and very bright! It was such a joy to get to see them. I’m not sure what they were doing with the fluff from the cattails since they didn’t seem to be taking it with them when they left. I would have thought they wanted it for nesting material, but maybe there’s just something good in there to eat.

A male redwing blackbird is perched at the top of a furry cattail in a misty morning.

A male redwing blackbird is digging into the top of a furry cattail with a wide open beak. The feather pattern on his back looks like plated armour with bright red and yellow splashes at the shoulders.

A male redwing blackbird is poised to fly from a cattail with his wings back and his black beak looking very pointy.

Lonely cattails in the mist with their fluff blowing in the breeze after a bird has just taken off.

At different times on my walk I saw both a female and male downy woodpecker, which was such a treat! Look closely and you’ll see the female below is sticking out her tongue, which is adorable. And I just love seeing how they balance against the tree branch with their pretty tail feathers. Extra bonus points for perching on branches with very photogenic gold lichen. (Yes to these colour palettes!)

A black and white female downy woodpecker is clutching a branch. Her tongue is sticking out in a very cute but undignified way.

A male downy woodpecker on a lichen-covered branch. His bright red feathers look like an adorable jaunty hat.

Chestnut-backed chickadees are so tricky for me to photograph because they’re tiny and very flitty! But I managed to get a shot of this one’s cutest little bird butt with mottled feathers. I’m very proud.

A very round chestnut-backed chickadee viewed from the side with puffy mottled feathers. Their beak looks like it doesn’t actually serve any function because it’s so tiny.

And I saw house finches! There were a whole bunch making the blackberry bushes atmospheric. They were eating the leftover seeds from the dried up berries and they did this amazing upside-down acrobatics to get at some of them.

A group of male and female house finches are perched in a thorny blackberry bush.

A male house finch with red feathers that looks like watercolour painted on is hanging upside down and grabbing a seed with his open beak.

A perfectly neutral female house finch is perched elegantly on a thorny blackberry branch.

I’m relatively new to bird photography and I mostly do it for art rather than for science, but I’m thinking that this is the time of year for very intense plumage, so maybe it’s the perfect moment for capturing those bright reds. I’m looking forward to learning more about the seasonality of birding!

If you liked these photos, you can also follow me on my nature Instagram account @AndreaRangelOutside.

Winter Birding

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