Ep. 281 : Red-winged Blackbird Nest in Algonquin Park

Ep. 281 : Red-winged Blackbird Nest in Algonquin Park

From to know the land by byron

February 23, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

The episode recounts a cold day in February when a nest believed to belong to a Red-winged Blackbird was discovered while tracking wolves in Algonquin Park.

On a very cold day in February, while trailing a Algonquin Wolves ( Canis lycaon ) across the frozen Lake of Two Rivers, South of highway 60 running through Algonquin Provincial Park, a fellow tracker and I came across a nest. I took out my phone and quickly took some measurements and moved on. It wasn’t too long, as it was -30°C (-22°F/243K) and my hands we’re screaming at me, but this little discovery started itching my memory of the day and pestering me to figure out who it was. I did a little bit of research, through which I came to the conclusion that the nest may have been built by a Red-winged Blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus). This is the story of that discovery and some of the readings which led me to a possible answer to an ageless question; whodunnit ? To learn more : A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds by Colin Harrison. Collins, 1978. Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds’ Nests by Hal H. Harrison. Houghton Mifflin, 1975. Peterson Field Guide to North American Bird Nests by Casey McFarland, Matt Monjello, and David Moskowitz. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. Bird Nest Finder by Dorcas Miller. Nature Study Guide Publishers, 2024…

People in this episode

Host: byron

Topics covered

  • birdwatching
  • nature discovery
  • nesting behavior
  • Algonquin Park
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • tracking wildlife

Keywords

  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • nest discovery
  • Algonquin Park
  • bird nests
  • wildlife tracking
  • nature research

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds, Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds’ Nests, Peterson Field Guide to North American Bird Nests, Bird Nest Finder

Places: Algonquin Park, Lake of Two Rivers, Algonquin Provincial Park

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