Red-winged Blackbirds have fledged
It seems hard to believe that some songbirds have already hatched and left the nest. After all it is mid-June and start of astronomical summer is less than a week away. Red-winged Blackbirds are one of these early-to-fledge species. They arrive in Minnesota in mid to late March as the ice on the lakes and wetlands starts to melt. By April they are constructing nests and laying 2-4 eggs that require a short incubation period of 11-13 days. In May when the eggs hatch the nestlings only need another 11-14 days in the nest before being able to take short flights around their nesting area. So by early June if conditions are right, the young blackbirds are exploring around the wetland in a short radius dependent on their parents to feed them.
By early August the fledglings are on their own and the adults will seem scarce due to their molting process which makes it hard for them to fly. When autumn comes they will be active again gathering in flocks to begin migrating south.
