November Ballet

For Iowa outdoor enthusiasts, the month of November is one of the most exciting times of the year.  November has so much to offer that making a list of all the things to do would fill pages.  One of the things I most look forward to each November is the annual migration of blackbirds.  Yea, that’s right.  I know it sounds crazy but I really do enjoy – no, I actually love – sitting and watching massive flocks of southbound blackbirds.  In terms of sheer numbers, the autumn congregations are unrivaled.

The November duck blind is one of my favorite viewing points.  The show begins at the crack of dawn as thousands of roosted blackbirds [mostly common grackles] take wing from the wooded shorelines of lakes and marshes.  The largest flocks may stretch for three or four miles; trying to guesstimate their numbers is an unsurmountable mathematical challenge.  What makes those flocks especially fun to watch are the high-speed choreographed gyrations performed on a frequent basis.  Included among my aerial ballet favorites are Crack the Whip, the Tornado, Roller Coaster and Figure-8 routines.  The reason I love to observe blackbirds from duck blinds is that when crossing large expanses of open water, the displays become more frequent and more extreme.

Tree stands are another good observation point, not so much for the viewing but for the sound.  Most memorable are those crisp November mornings –when the air is so still you could hear a pin drop – when, out of nowhere, thousands of passing grackles descend on the timber.  In an instant, the leafless branches are completely refoiliated with clamoring blackbirds; the forest floor transformed into a foraging black carpet of birdlife.  The din is deafening until, without warning, the flock suddenly returns to the sky and silence returns to the forest.

I’ve often wondered exactly who is in charge of these huge flocks.  Who decides when and where to go, or which bird determines whether the thousands behind it will turn to the right or left.  Most importantly, which bird gives the signal that it’s time for another ‘Crack the Whip’?