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Red-winged Blackbird pair

claireplymouth z6b coastal MA

12 years ago

Another sign of Spring today here on the southeast MA coast -

Male Red-winged Blackbirds have been here for a while but the females always come later. One or two red-wing males have been singing in the yard for about a week.

I looked out the window and noticed a male red-wing looking really happy, bouncing over to the water bath and then bouncing back to the groundfeeding area. Lo and behold, the first female Red-winged Blackbird is here, and she's feeding with the male that's been hanging around the yard for a while and singing.

I hope she stays and they nest here. There's been about a dozen males stopping here every day to eat and then heading off, probably to the marsh nearby, so that may be a draw for her.

Claire

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Comments (3)

JordanWalker
12 years ago
My nephew wants to have a bird and I was thinking what's the best breed is good for him. He like to have this Red-winged Blackbird but I don't think it's good for him. He's only 4 years old. Any suggestions on what breed is the best for a 4 year old boy?
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
Original Author
12 years ago
Certainly not a wild bird like the blackbird - these are not good pets.

This site, The Best Pet Birds For Kids says that generally they don't recommend that children under 12 years old be given pet birds, and they give a lot of reasons for that.

"You should not get a pet bird for your child, if:

1) Your child is under the age of 12 and will be the birdÃ¢ÂÂs sole care taker. Some children donÃ¢ÂÂt understand the consequences of their actions, especially if they forget to give the pet bird food or water. Animal cruelty should not be practiced so that a child can learn responsibility the hard way.

2) Your child has no money to take the pet bird to an avian veterinarian if it gets sick. Parents who donÃ¢ÂÂt allow pet birds that are sick to be taken to the vet because they donÃ¢ÂÂt want to spend the money teach the child a number of bad lessons. If the parent or child is unable or unwilling to take to the pet bird to a vet, then donÃ¢ÂÂt get the pet bird.

3) If the child is too busy with extracurricular activities to spend at least one to two hours hanging out with the pet bird.

4) If the child is not willing to check out websites or read magazines and books about a pet bird before adopting one.

5) If the child has trouble controlling his or her emotions. Prey animals do not respond well to physical outbursts and will fly or bite."

They do list nine birds that are suitable for kids under the right circumstances.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 12:53
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There is a park, a small field that is regularly mowed, and a sort of a wet-weather slough that runs between four properties (one of which is ours). It's basically what's left when a developer is too lazy to properly landscape when they build a plat on uneven terrain. There may be only one of the females; We've been away for awhile and I've not yet seen her again since we got back. Apparently my female house sparrows have lost their itty-bitty minds and have taken to scattering the seed from the window feeder far and wide, which has finally given the grackles something they can get at. The grackles are making things a little more difficult for everyone else and I wonder if they've driven her off. So I'll not be filling the window feeder any more - then we'll see if Ms. RWBB comes back or no, LOL!
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JordanWalker
12 years ago
Thanks for this great advice, Claire. I think I need to explain to my nephew that it's not yet the right time to own a pet bird since he is still young and he is not yet responsible enough to handle a pet. I'll just promise to him that I would give him a pet bird once he's already old enough. I would let him choose from the 9 best pet birds once he is ready to take the challenges of being a pet owner.

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