. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1969 Smith and Bird: Flocking Habits of Blackbirds 41 10,000 - CO o oc m g 1000 < _J CD 100 o z. FIELDS NEAR DELTA MARSHES FIELDS NEAR ASSINIBOINE R. 28 14 21 SEPT 28 7 14 21 AUG Figure 1. Total number of blackbirds seen at weekly intervals during August and Sep- tember 1964 in two agricultural areas. (De Grazio, 1961, 1963). From November until February the birds forage daily in the fields in flocks at the wintering sites mainly in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas. The wintering populations begin to move northward in late February (Neff and Meanlev, 1957). St
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1969 Smith and Bird: Flocking Habits of Blackbirds 41 10,000 - CO o oc m g 1000 < _J CD 100 o z. FIELDS NEAR DELTA MARSHES FIELDS NEAR ASSINIBOINE R. 28 14 21 SEPT 28 7 14 21 AUG Figure 1. Total number of blackbirds seen at weekly intervals during August and Sep- tember 1964 in two agricultural areas. (De Grazio, 1961, 1963). From November until February the birds forage daily in the fields in flocks at the wintering sites mainly in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas. The wintering populations begin to move northward in late February (Neff and Meanlev, 1957). Study Areas and Methods Blackbird flocks were observed in two agricultural areas in Manitoba, one north of Portage la Prairie and the other near Altona, which were described in detail in a previous paper (Bird and Smith, 1964). Each area, consisting of approximately 80 square miles, was visited once every two weeks from May to October in 1960, usually from 1000 hr. to 1700 hr. from 5-6 hours after sunrise until 2-3 hours before sunset. The areas were also visited at various times during August and September in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964. Observations were made with the aid of 8 x 30 binoculars. Results Daily Behaviojir of Autumn Flocks Flocks that form after the nesting season feed on cereal grains, weed seeds, and insects (Bird and Smith, 1964). The daily pattern of behaviour is remarkably consistent. Beginning at sunrise blackbirds leave the communal night roost and fly to nearby fields to feed; after feeding thev flv to the nearest water to drink, then rest in trees near the watering spot where they preen themselves, and sing sporadically. This cycle of movements seemed to be repeated throughout the day (Table 1) and about 2 hours before sunset, the birds begin returning to the night Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may
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