It's been a busy day for unusual birds. My first Spotted Towhee earlier in the day, and now this. Thought this guy was too large, but now I see that the tail feathers match. I've seen Red-Winged Blackbirds out at Sand Creek, but if I'm correct, this was my first encounter with one of these in the back yard.
This is definitely a Red-winged Blackbird. Congrats on your first encounter!
In our area we have tons of them and their distinctive "trilling" is one of the sounds I hear first thing in the morning as well as all day long.
If you get a lot of them, they can take over seed and suet feeders. If you run into that, try a little Safflower seed in one of your feeders. Birds like Cardinals, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, House Finches, Doves and other birds really enjoy the seeds, but Blackbirds find the shell too hard to crack. Also Squirrels don't like Safflower seed.
What a hoot! I'd only seen them before down at the creek, photographing them many times, but never able to zoom in close enough to get a good shot. For some reason, they looked totally huge in my back yard, I guess more out of place. They'd have to hang out an awful lot for me to find them remotely annoying, and I also enjoy their song. I had heard that Grackles don't like Safflower, and have considered trying it this summer. They really get problematic at times, and their table manners play havoc with the birdseed budget. Thanks for the info!
I get them in the yard spring and fall, but unless you very close to nesting habitat, they won't be in your yard in the summer.
