Red-winged Blackbird

The aptly named Red-winged Blackbird is one of the more obnoxious birds in the Vancouver area. During breeding season, territorial males spend a good portion of their day chasing away competitors and loudly singing, “Conk-la-REE-ah!” A male will have up to 15 female mates in his territory, but those girls have been going behind his back: a quarter to half of “his” females has a baby daddy other than him.

The female Red-winged Blackbirds have neither red nor black on their body, but are brown and streaky like sparrows. They spend more of their time foraging and hanging out with their girlfriends than the males do, since they don’t waste their time trying to prove to the world how macho they are. Red-winged Blackbirds of both sexes are found year-round in Vancouver pretty much wherever there are freshwater ponds or lakes. I saw this one at Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary on February 26.

Horned Grebe

“It’s a duck!” “It’s a loon!” “It’s Superman!” Actually, it’s a grebe. While grebes are superficially similar to loons, they have shorter tails, weaker flight, and longer necks. DNA evidence shows that grebes are more closely related to flamingos and pigeons (of all things) than they are to loons. You could say that Horned Grebes look like devil-birds, especially in their yellow-horned breeding plumage, but the insult would probably roll off of their backs like water droplets.

Grebes are diving birds that eat whatever aquatic animals they can get their bills on. They’re usually alone or in small groups, but they can be seen in salt water all over the lower mainland in winter. I saw this one on February 11 at the White Rock Pier.

Lesser Gashog

A common resident of Vancouver, the Lesser Gashog is a flight-loving bird that is usually seen soaring overhead on fair-weather days. It announces its presence with a steady, buzzing flight song and it doesn’t seem to shy of human attention. Despite its bold behaviour, the Lesser Gashog will rarely come to land in your local park.

Lesser Gashogs are detritivores, and feed exclusively on the ancient sludge of half-decomposed organic matter. They rest in large groups overnight at established roosting sites called “airports”; I saw this one flying near the Boundary Bay Airport on February 2. They compete fiercely with other species for these roosting sites as well as for food; Delta is a stronghold for the Lesser Gashog, but they are outcompeted by the Greater Gashog on Sea Island in Richmond.

The reproductive habits of gashogs are largely unknown, though there is good evidence for an established nesting site of Greater Gashogs in Everett, Washington.