Blackbirds!

A deafening flock of Red-winged Blackbirds has been hanging around these parts recently. I tried to capture some of the amazing spectacle with my camera.

The enormous brown rug you see draped across the road is the flock; intent on devouring everything in sight.

 

The creek banks were so crowded that some birds actually landed in the water to drink!

 

This massive flock of blackbirds attracted at least seven species of raptors, including this Red-tailed Hawk. I spotted no less than fifteen red-tails perched among the flock one evening!

It might seem like an easy lunch with this many birds around, but try following one bird in this mass of wings.

This must be why albino birds don't live very long. Their unique coloration makes them much easier to see and catch.

It is impossible to come up with a accurate estimate for the number of birds in a flock of this size, but there are certainly tens of thousands in this one.

Joseph