Ep. 281 : Red-winged Blackbird Nest in Algonquin Park

<p>On a very cold day in February, while trailing a Algonquin Wolves (<em>Canis lycaon</em>) across the frozen Lake of Two Rivers, South of highway 60 running through Algonquin Provincial Park, a fellow tracker and I came across a nest. I took out my phone and quickly took some measurements and moved on. It wasn’t too long, as it was -30°C (-22°F/243K) and my hands we’re screaming at me, but this little discovery started itching my memory of the day and pestering me to figure out who it was. I did a little bit of research, through which I came to the conclusion that the nest may have been built by a Red-winged Blackbird (<em>Agelaius phoeniceus).</em> </p><p>This is the story of that discovery and some of the readings which led me to a possible answer to an ageless question; <em>whodunnit</em>?</p><p><strong>To learn more : </strong><br><em>A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds </em>by Colin Harrison. Collins, 1978.</p><p><em>Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds’ Nests </em>by Hal H. Harrison. Houghton Mifflin, 1975.<em>Peterson Field Guide to North American Bird Nests</em> by Casey McFarland, Matt Monjello, and David Moskowitz. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021.<br><em>Bird Nest Finder </em>by Dorcas Miller. Nature Study Guide Publishers, 2024.</p><p><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=45.58041524007786&nelng=-78.49191403664625&subview=map&swlat=45.57290554489187&swlng=-78.50221371926344&taxon_id=9744&verifiable=any" target="_blank">Inaturalist identifications of Red-winged Blackbirds in the area of the nest</a><br><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=45.58041524007786&nelng=-78.49191403664625&subview=map&swlat=45.57290554489187&swlng=-78.50221371926344&taxon_id=9096&verifiable=any" target="_blank">Inaturalist identifications of Swamp Sparrow in the area of the nest</a></p><p></p>