NESTING SEASON • 2025 PRAIRIE UPDATES

After our late-season burn in 2024, you may see many of our wildflowers re-growing within our prairie patches, with quite a variety to be seen. Once we greet the initial days of March, these patches act as essential habitats for many of our birds and critters that call Winnemac Park home.  Local and migrating birds, bunnies, squirrels, bats, butterflies all take refuge within the greenery not only for shelter and nesting, but for fresh greens and variable forms of sustenance.  

It is absolutely necessary that we treat our prairies as the preserves that they are, which means stay on the paths and keeping our dogs out of these fenced zones.

We ask that you do this to respect the nature that resides within these prairies; a dog's scent can hinder or divert native activity and nesting, which works against our goal.

To articulate this point further, we can look to our native Red-Winged Blackbirds, who are well-known ground nesters. These birds surely use Winnemac's prairie patches to their benefit during breeding season. For frequent spring/summer park attendees, we know them well, as they let their presence be known from the branches above; however, once we gain a better understanding of their habits, we can learn to love these birds and their protective nature.

More about Red-Winged Blackbirds

(Agelaius phoeniceus)

The male Red-Wings arrive first to their breeding territories, which generally occurs in mid-late February. Their call is unmistakable once they have made their landing; a sign that spring is just around the corner. While it may seem like they are yelling at you as you pass by, it is nothing personal - yet. For now, they are simply staking out their preferred grounds for when the females arrive, which is about a month or so later.

These birds, along with other ground-nesting birds, are a crucial reason that it is essential to stay on prairie paths and keep pups out of our natural areas.

Once the females arrive, they will start constructing a nest in the zones that have been "dibbed" by the fellas; this will be done with prairie scraps, grasses, and of course, mud, for extra durability.

This is where things can get aggressive. Once that female has eggs in the nest, the males will loom overhead, ensuring no one gets too close. 

Because their nests are on the ground, they are extremely vulnerable; they cannot tell the difference when someone is taking a leisurely stroll, or a potential threat to their eggs. To the bird, they can very much appear the same.

While males often act with a diving head-bomb, if a female does choose to attack, it will often be in a more extreme form than the male exhibits.

So this year, let's try to cut our Red-Winged Blackbirds some slack, and be sure to play your part to keep their nests safe.
 

💚 Thank you!

🪶 @fromwinnemacpark