PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 15, 2025
An atypical summer has led to a lot of atypical behavior from wildlife. A great example is why red-winged blackbirds were spending more time around their bird feeders in June than usual. This can likely be explained by food availability. With increasingly warmer winters, we are seeing red-winged blackbirds arrive earlier than they were even a couple of decades ago. They typically eat seeds throughout the non-breeding season, from late summer to early in the following spring. Come summer, most birds need to switch their diets from seeds/plants to insects. If the food isn’t there, the birds need to adapt and perhaps even delay nesting. The abundant rain in the spring made it harder for red-winged blackbirds to nest, and they probably weren’t finding the food (insects) they needed until the weather improved. Supplementing their diet with seeds during this period was likely an easy alternative. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox