Birds

Red-winged Blackbird Harassing a Fish Crow

May 22, 2012 by Corey 1 Comment

While at Flushing Meadows Corona Park near my house in Queens this evening putting my new lens through its paces,* I was entertained by the strafing runs that the Red-winged Blackbirds were taking at every Fish Crow that flew by. The Red-winged Blackbirds are just protecting their eggs and young from a known nest predator but I still couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the harried crows that just seemed to be trying to get from place to place only to have shrieking blackbirds attack them at every opportunity. It was a good chance to try out my lens on some long-range birds in flight in difficult light and I got some decent shots, even if they are mostly silhouetted.

Be glad you aren’t a Fish Crow flying over reed beds!

*I got myself the sweet, sweet, Canon 100-400mm IS lens. And is it ever a cherry piece of glass. No worries, though, I’ll still be digiscoping too. Just expect to see some much better flight shots from me moving forward…

Written by Corey

Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.