This is Bert Note.

The familiar sound of the Red Wing Blackbird is a reminder of the return of spring, and

they're the theme bird for this year's Blackbirders week, which begins today.

I'm Deja Perkins, and I help organize the event.

Growing up in the Great Lakes region, the Red Wing Blackbird was a familiar face in any

marshy area, fragmites ridden roadside, or lakefront drive.

Three words that define me also define the Red Wing Blackbird, bold, beautiful, and black.

Bold is the way that we fiercely defend our territories and community.

Red Wing Blackbirds spend more than a quarter of their time defending their territories,

loudly protesting intruders, and sometimes going after those much larger and more powerful

than themselves.

We are bold and beautiful, just for existing, but those words also define the matching splash

of red and yellow, gracing the wing of the otherwise differently colored male and female.

As a year-round resident of North America, the Red Wing Blackbird has the potential to

connect us all, no matter where we live.

Let the Red Wing Blackbird be a reminder to embrace being bold, beautiful, and black.

Join us as we fly full circle for Blackbirders Week 2023.

Follow our hashtag Blackbirders Week 2023 to learn how to participate.