I am not sure why, but this male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) was acting differently this past weekend. Rather than standing tall and singing out loudly, as is normally the case, he was instead hunched over and making a more gentle peeping sound.
Was he in pain or distress? Was this simply a different way of communication? It’s overwhelming sometimes to consider how little I know about the behavior of the subjects that I try to photograph, despite the fact that I am learning all of the time.
From a photographic perspective, I really like the geometric. almost abstract shape of the blackbird in this image.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I remembered how amazed I was when I first heard bluejays’ musical “burble”. It was so different from their usual calls, I hardly could believe it was from the same bird.
The more time that I spend with these little creatures, the more I am amazed by their diverse behaviors. I am almost always in a state of wonderment and amazement.
That is odd behavior for a red winged blackbird. They aren’t usually very quiet or subtle, as you know.